Let’s go fly a kite

Villagers have been making and flying kites along the banks of the Hong (Red) River for centuries, organizing competitions that have expanded to include other localities.

Legend has it that Nguyen Ca, a general of the 10th century Dinh Dynasty, went back to his hometown after defeating the enemy and taught Ba Duong Noi villagers how to cultivate crops and fly kites.

There are three types of Ba Duong Noi kites. The first, called a long-horned grasshopper kite, is pointed, and curved, while a lemon-leaf-shaped kite can fly much higher than a long-horned grasshopper kite and is preferred by most people. The third type is a plain kite with wide wings and rounded ends that can fly very high but is harder to control than the other two.

On the morning of the festival, a ritual incense offering is conducted at the village temple to worship local deities. All contestants present their kites to the deities before bringing them to the field for the event that takes place in the afternoon from 14:00-17:00.

Flying kites is a passion for most Ba Duong Noi villagers. Generations of villagers have maintained and preserved this feature of their traditional culture. The village is one of the folk culture destinations promoted by the Vietnam Folk Art Association and the annual festival is the biggest of its kind in northern Vietnam.

The kites of Ba Duong Noi Village have been flown at many festivals, including the Millennial Anniversary of Hanoi’s kite flying festival, and kite festivals of the ancient capital of Hue, Vung Tau City in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, as well as Thailand, China and Malaysia.