On March 1st At Ba Temple, Xom Chay (Cai Rang district), after some ritual ceremonies, nearly 100 boats sailed down Hau river to escort an aquatic raft with gifts to go out (seen in the photo above) to wish the removal of the illness and unlucky things will drift downstream and the good things will come in the new year. At the same time, some temples in other localities as Hung Phu and Hung Thanh in Cai Rang district, Giai Xuan, Truong Long and Nhon Ai in Phong Dien district, and some in Thot Not district held this ceremony.

Praying for peace ceremony which is also called “Tong phong” or “Tong on – Tong gio” ceremony, is hold in many temples and some pagodas in the South of Vietnam in the early of the lunar year. This ceremony has existed in Vietnam for hundreds of years. Floating aquatic raft with gifts (a small paper boat carrying gifs), one of the most important rituals of the ceremony, became a unique one on the river.

As noted, most of the rituals in the praying for peace ceremony were hold solemnly without any unsound customs and attracted a lot of people.