Mong ethnic group in Pa Co Commune celebrate Gau Tao Festival 2026

Happy Vietnam

Delegates and visitors join the festive activities, holding hands and dancing around the ceremonial pole to the sound of Mong panpipes. Photo: Trong Dat – VNA
Local residents of Pa Co Commune enthusiastically take part in the Gau Tao Festival. Photo: Trong Dat – VNA
The festive atmosphere comes alive as Mong men and women, the elderly and children join hands to dance in circles around the ceremonial pole amid the sound of traditional panpipes. Photo: Trong Dat – VNA
Teams compete in making traditional “banh day” (pounded sticky rice cakes) during the festival. Photo: Trong Dat – VNA
The ceremonial pole, a sacred symbol connecting heaven and earth and always oriented eastward – the direction of life and the sun – embodies wishes for fertility and abundant harvests. Photo: Trong Dat – VNA
A shaman performs ritual ceremonies beneath the ceremonial pole prior to the opening of the Gau Tao Festival. Photo: Trong Dat – VNA
Foreign visitors enthusiastically join festival activities with local Mong people in Pa Co Commune. Photo: Trong Dat – VNA
An exhibition and sales area showcasing agricultural products of the Mong people at the festival. Photo: Trong Dat – VNA
Local residents of Pa Co Commune take part enthusiastically in the Gau Tao Festival. Photo: Trong Dat – VNA
Mong ethnic group in Pa Co Commune celebrate Gau Tao Festival 2026
The Gau Tao Festival of the Mong ethnic group in Pa Co Commune, Phu Tho Province, was recently held at the Xa Linh hamlet stadium. This traditional cultural event marks the beginning of the spring festival season for the Mong people in highland areas and contributes to preserving and promoting ethnic cultural identity in connection with community-based tourism. Photo: Trong Dat – VNA