The main festival day – which is a public holiday in Vietnam since 2007 – is on the 10th day.

Although the official name is Death Anniversary of the Hung Kings (Vietnamese: Giỗ Tổ Hùng Vương), the date is traditional and does not mark any specific death date of any Hung King.

The purpose of this ceremony is to remember and pay tribute to the contribution of the Hung Kings who are the traditional founders of the nation and became its first emperors. Beginning as a local holiday, the Ceremony was recognized as a national holiday in 2007. In 2016, the total number of visitors to this year’s fest to seven million.

The ceremony takes place over several days, but 10th day of the month is considered the most important. A procession starts at the foot of the mountain, and stops at every small temple before reaching the High Temple. Here pilgrims offer prayers and incense to their ancestors.