Art performance at the opening ceremony of the Song Doc Whale Festival.

The Nghinh Ong Song Doc Festival is organized on a provincial scale, with the peak of the festival activities taking place from March 11 to 17 (February 12 to 18 of the lunar calendar); in which, the ritual practice includes: Nam Hai Ong's procession and traditional worship ceremony.
Chairman of Tran Van Thoi District People's Committee Nguyen The Chau emphasized that the Nghinh Ong Song Doc Festival not only meets the spiritual needs of Ca Mau coastal fishermen but also creates an important cultural mark, creating a space to connect the community. The annual festival activities at Lang Ong Nam Hai Song Doc have long attracted the participation of ethnic groups in the province as well as Tran Van Thoi district; thereby, building solidarity, attachment, mutual support, helping each other conquer nature, develop the economy, settle down and make a living...
The Nghinh Ong Song Doc Festival not only contributes to educating the local young generation but is also a way to preserve cultural heritage in a sustainable way by influencing the awareness and increasing knowledge about heritage for the young generation. The organization of the Nghinh Ong Festival every year has enhanced education and disseminated knowledge about Vietnam's seas and islands to the public, which is a current need. The activity contributes to raising awareness and fostering love for the homeland, the awareness of preserving the sovereignty of the sea and islands of each fisherman when going out to sea - sticking to the sea.

The worship ritual is preserved and passed down through many generations at Lang Ong Song Doc.

At the opening ceremony, Mr. Tran Van Quoc, Head of Lang Ong Nam Hai Song Doc, reviewed the 100-year-old customs of fishermen in this coastal area; affirming that the Nghinh Ong Festival is the most important spiritual and cultural event of coastal residents in Ca Mau. This is not only an occasion for people to pray for a year of smooth sailing, but also to show their respect to the guardian deity of fishermen at sea. "After a century, the festival has not only been preserved but also developed, becoming an indispensable part of the spiritual life of coastal residents", Mr. Tran Van Quoc emphasized.

According to the Organizing Committee, in addition to the main ritual of the Ong procession, within the framework of the Ong Festival, there are also cultural and sports activities to diversify the propaganda and promotion activities of goods and tourism products typical of Ca Mau province, especially aquatic and seafood products. This contributes to building addresses and forming tourism products to attract tourists to the locality.

With that important meaning, the organization work has been carried out carefully and thoughtfully by the locality to both preserve the traditional values ​​of the festival and exploit tourism, contributing to promoting economic development; more than 90 fishing boats have registered to participate in the procession. Security, waterway safety and environmental sanitation are given top priority. The Organizing Committee has mobilized the Border Guard and local police forces to be on duty, ensuring the safe movement of boats throughout the entire ceremony.

The Song Doc Whale Festival has been included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage in 2021 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

In 2021, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized the Nghinh Ong Song Doc Festival as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. This is not only the pride of the people of Ca Mau province in general, and the people of the coastal area of ​​Song Doc in particular, but also contributes practically to preserving the richness and diversity of Vietnam's intangible cultural heritage. This is also a favorable condition for domestic and international friends to know more about the cultural beauty of the coastal land of Ca Mau.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/doi-song-van-hoa/ton-vinh-gia-tri-di-san-tram-nam-le-hoi-nghinh-ong-song-doc-20250313213400052.htm