UNESCO’s recognition of the Festival of Ba Chua Xu Goddess at Sam Mountain is celebrated in Chau Doc city, An Giang province, March 19, 2025. (Source: An Giang newspaper)

Addressing the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh emphasized that UNESCO’s recognition will help promote An Giang’s cultural values to domestic and international visitors.  

“This is a great honor. An Giang people and authorities must preserve and promote the values of the festival and Vietnam’s cultural heritage in general,” he said. 

The Festival of Ba Chua Xu Goddess at Sam Mountain was officially inscribed onto the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity last  December.

The Ba Chua Xu Goddess Temple, located at the foot of Sam Mountain in An Giang province, is a historical relic site. Built in 1820, it is dedicated to Ba Chua Xu, a Mother Goddess worshipped in the Mekong Delta region, who is believed to have safeguarded national borders and taught locals how to cultivate rice.

Held annually from the 23rd to 27th day of the fourth lunar month, the festival features a procession carrying the Ba Chua Xu Goddess statue from the summit of Sam Mountain to the temple, a bathing ceremony, an offering ceremony, and other rituals.

The festival is an occasion for people to express their gratitude to Ba Chua Xu and pray for peace, prosperity, and good fortune.