Excursion (day): Bá Dương Nội Village annual kite flying festival – FULL

THIS EVENT IS NOW FULL, PLEASE RSVP FOR THE WAITING LIST THANKS

Bá Dương Nội Village – kite making/flying village. The final day of the kite festival week is the kite flying competition for adults and kite clubs – its always on the 15th day of the 3rd lunar month. This year = 1 May (solar calendar). Unlike previous years it means it falls on a major national holiday weekend. And the invite for FVH this year is a bit different.

The  Bá Dương Nội Village kite committee this year is inviting us to join them for an early lunch so its now a full day event if you want to come to the lunch.

BACKGROUND
FVH has had a friendship with this village since 2017 and we started joining their annual kite festival in 2018. Bá Dương Nội village is a 1,000 year-old kite making village on the Red River on the outskirts of Hanoi. Generations of villagers have kept this tradition alive. The kites are shaped as crescent moons or boats, with wooden flutes attached. The wind passes through the flutes making haunting melodies.  The village dates back to the 10^th century Dinh Dynasty. Bá Dương Nội has a reputation as one of Vietnam’s main kite flying centres.

Week-long festivities culminate with the adult kite competition, always 15th day of 3rd lunar month, which is when we attend.  The festival attracts competitors from all over Vietnam; usually FVH are the only visitors, which keeps it lovely and local; however, in recent years some tourists** have started to encroach on this pure Vietnamese event.

AGENDA
We are honoured that Mr Ha, Chairman of the village, and our lovely friend Mr Tu, previously on the Bá Dương Nội Cultural committee, personally invite us.

9am Meet: at the Pan Pacific Hotel, Yên Phụ, on the corner of Thanh Niên Rd we need to arrive by 9.45am/10am latest at the village.

10am we are invited to join the committee and village for lunch

From about 1.30pm opening proceedings (called by the drum and plenty of speeches)

From about 2.15pm onwards – the  kite flying competition takes place. We watch the competitors fly their kites running through small fields of morning glory. We sometimes get invited to Mr Ha’s house – the Chairman – for tea

Note there will or could be a gap between lunch and the kites. The village is now very urban and nothing much to see; but all along the Red River dyke road a short way walk along on each side other villages dotted about and in easy reach by foot. And they have festivals too. So you are very welcome to go exploring and then come back to the kite festival…..

OPTIONS

1. This is the recommended option as we being specially invited to the lunch. Full day – lunch, and the kite festival
2. Afternoon only – make your own way to arrive by 1.15pm and come back with us on the min bus
3. Aternoon only – book your own car and driver to stay with you and arrive by 1.15pm

IMPORTANT TO NOTE

• Non-touristy -we are usually the only visitors who attend**
• Please dress respectfully (despite hot humid weather – NO shorts, short outfits, strapless tops, as we will be in the kite temple to start which is spiritual place for the kites
• It is extremely noisy and crowded in a small area
• The proceedings are in Vietnamese – almost no one at the village speaks ENG.
• Flexibility and compromise are critical. Please go with the flow. Duration at the village depends on the weather and when the competition can start as it depends on the wind. Expect heat and humidity.  We don’t stay for the awards at the end as we avoid lots of hanging around as there is very little to do and see in the village. We leave 4pm-4.15pm before the judging and awards ceremony. You are welcome to stay longer but you need to make your own way back – its very hard to get taxis/grabs, but there is a public bus – the bus stop is about a 10-15 min walk up Red River dyke road
• You are welcome to stroll around the village and the nearby ones over the dyke road, mingle with the locals, sit on the edge of the morning glory field with a beer and ice cream; if you are lucky, one of the locals may show you how to the fly a kite, Mr Ha sometimes invites us to his home for tea depending how busy he is
• There is very little of interest to see in the village – its become very urban

Current price pp VND 300k pp for those coming for the full day for lunch and the mini bus both ways to

Numbers:   Very maximum 15 people (we keep to a small group)

RSVP:  to stella@fvheritage.org  
Everyone coming must provide mobile number/WA/zalo

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