Grand Ba Chua Xu Sam Mountain Goddess Festival An Giang 2026 (UNESCO Heritage)
Schedule: 2026 | Location: Vietnam
Officially inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Grand Ba Chua Xu Sam Mountain Goddess Festival is celebrated from the 22nd to the 27th day of the fourth lunar month in Chau Doc City, An Giang. Standing as one of Southeast Asia's most monumental spiritual pilgrimages, the 2026 festival is projected to welcome over 5 million pilgrims, cultural travelers, and overseas Vietnamese gathering at the foot of Sam Mountain to seek peace, health, and cosmic blessings for the new year. The sacred week commences with the spectacular reenactment procession bringing Lady Chua Xu's stone statue down from the mystic summit of Sam Mountain to her imperial shrine. Precisely at midnight on the 23rd lunar night, the secretive and sacred Bathing Ceremony (Lễ Mộc Dục) takes place behind velvet curtains: the thousand-year-old sandstone deity statue is bathed with pure rainwater infused with thousands of fragrant white jasmine petals, then adorned in magnificent golden-threaded dragon robes. The festival continues with the imperial-style Spirit Invocation for General Thoai Ngoc Hau, Tuc Yet sacrificial rites, and solemn court ceremonial music. Complementing the profound spiritual rituals is an exhilarating cultural carnival transforming the border city of Chau Doc. Vibrant lion-dragon dance troupes parade through lively avenues, while open-air stages feature traditional Hat Boi classical theater, rhythmic Khmer Chhay-dam drum dances, and sacred Bong Roi balance dances balancing golden flower trays on performers' heads. Visitors can savor legendary borderland culinary treats at the Southern Folk Cake Fair, feast on bubbling hotpots of Chau Doc fermented fish, and marvel at fireworks illuminating the southwestern border skies.