Beyond the well-known Lunar New Year, Vietnam hides a mid-year gem that reveals its deep connection to nature, health, and tradition.
Experience Vietnam’s Doan Ngo Festival 2025: A Cultural Journey Through Time and Taste
A Unique Summer Festival You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
The Doan Ngo Festival, also known as the Double Fifth Festival in Vietnam, is one of the country’s most culturally rich and regionally diverse celebrations. Observed on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month—which falls on May 31st in 2025—this mid-year festival is believed to purify the body, ward off illness, and balance inner energies at the peak of summer.
Although it shares the same date with China’s Dragon Boat Festival, the Vietnamese version focuses less on boat races and more on ancestral offerings, symbolic foods, and folk rituals. For international travelers seeking off-the-beaten-path cultural experiences, this festival is a hidden gem.
What Makes the Doan Ngo Festival Special?
Cleansing, Ancestral Worship, and Culinary Symbolism
The Doan Ngo Festival stands out because of its ritualistic emphasis on “cleansing”—both physical and spiritual. People rise early to perform offerings to ancestors, eat fermented foods, and consume seasonal fruits believed to “kill internal parasites.” Regional differences make the celebration even more intriguing, with unique customs and dishes across northern, central, and southern Vietnam.
Northern Vietnam: Simplicity, Symbolism, and Spiritual Start
Start the Day With Sticky Rice Wine and Ash Cakes
In Hanoi and surrounding provinces, the festival is celebrated with simplicity yet deep symbolism. Locals begin the day early—often before sunrise—with fermented sticky rice wine (cơm rượu), a dish that’s sweet, slightly alcoholic, and believed to cleanse the digestive system of harmful parasites.
Photo: Pinterest
Another staple is the “bánh giò” or ash cake, made from glutinous rice soaked in water mixed with plant ash, then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. This translucent cake is served with molasses and symbolizes the balance of yin and yang energies.
Folk Healing Rituals With Eggs and Fruits
In rural areas, folk beliefs still guide practices like rolling hard-boiled eggs on the body to absorb negative energy, followed by smashing them to cast away illness. A variety of sour seasonal fruits such as lychee, plum, or mango are also consumed for their supposed detoxifying effects.
Best Places to Experience:
Hanoi Old Quarter, Bắc Ninh traditional villages, local morning markets.
Central Vietnam: Offerings, Duck Dishes, and Ancestral Altars
Bánh Ú Tro – A Delicate Summer Specialty
In Central Vietnam, especially in Huế and Đà Nẵng, the bánh ú tro is a popular food item. Similar to the ash cake but with a triangular shape and sometimes stuffed with mung bean paste, it represents humility and spiritual purification.
Eating Duck to Balance the Heat
Unlike in the North, Central Vietnamese families often include roasted or boiled duck in their offerings. This tradition stems from the belief that duck meat has a cooling nature, helping the body adapt to the scorching summer heat.
Ancestor Worship With Tropical Fruits and Incense
Families prepare elaborate altars with incense, candles, and fruit platters, usually featuring tropical produce like rambutan, longan, and dragon fruit. The act of worship serves not only to honor ancestors but also to express gratitude and seek protection for the rest of the year.
Best Places to Experience:
Ancient capital Hue, Hoi An’s old town, countryside pagodas.
Southern Vietnam: Sweet Treats and Vibrant Community Spirit
Cơm Rượu Viên – The Southern Twist on Fermented Rice
In the South, particularly in the Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City, fermented sticky rice takes a different form: rice wine balls. These are small, sweet, and milder in alcohol—making them more approachable for children and tourists.
Chè Trôi Nước (Vietnamese Floating Rice Balls) and Ash-Wrapped Cakes With Filling
A beloved Southern dessert during Doan Ngo is chè trôi nước—soft glutinous rice balls filled with mung bean paste, floating in warm ginger syrup. Paired with bánh ú nước tro (a richer version of the ash cake), the food during this festival in the South emphasizes sweetness, softness, and balance.
Fruit Abundance as Festive Display
Doan Ngo in the South feels especially vibrant, with local markets overflowing with ripe tropical fruits: jackfruit, mangosteen, durian, rambutan, and pineapple. Streets buzz with friendly vendors, and families gather for shared meals and prayers.
Best Places to Experience:
Cần Thơ floating markets, Bến Tre, Ho Chi Minh City’s District 5 food alleys.
Unlocking the Meaning Behind Traditional Vietnamese Dishes on Doan Ngo Day
Food is at the heart of the Doan Ngo Festival. In Vietnam, preparing a special tray of symbolic dishes to offer to ancestors is a central ritual. Each food item carries deep cultural meaning, aimed at purifying the body, balancing energy, and honoring the summer season.
Bánh Tro (Ash Cake): The Purifying Treat
Known by many names—bánh tro, bánh gio, or bánh ú—this translucent rice cake is an indispensable offering during the Doan Ngo Festival.
Bánh tro is made from glutinous rice soaked in alkaline water created by burning aromatic plants like straw, sesame stalks, and mistletoe. The mixture is then wrapped in dried banana or bamboo leaves and steamed. The result is a lightly fragrant, cooling, jelly-like cake that’s often sliced and eaten with molasses or sugar.
Across Vietnam, the cake takes on different shapes and flavors. In the North, people prefer the plain, non-filled version, while in the South, it’s more common to find bánh tro stuffed with sweet or savory fillings. Shaped either as slim cones or pyramids, these cakes may look simple—but folding them correctly is a delicate art.
The reason it’s offered during Doan Ngo lies in ancient beliefs: the 5th day of the 5th lunar month is when "yang energy" reaches its peak, making the body vulnerable to illness. Bánh tro, with its detoxifying nature, is believed to help cleanse the digestive system and ward off disease during this “parasite-killing” day.
Cơm Rượu Nếp (Fermented Sticky Rice): A Potion for the Summer Body
This fermented dish is one of the most iconic components of the Doan Ngo meal. Traditionally eaten immediately after waking up, it’s believed to “intoxicate and eliminate parasites” within the body—both literally and symbolically.
There are regional variations of cơm rượu:
- In Northern Vietnam, it is served loose, with individual fermented grains.
- In Central Vietnam, the rice is packed into blocks.
- In the South, it’s rolled into soft, sweet rice wine balls.
The dish has a distinctive aroma—sweet, slightly pungent, with a warm alcoholic tang. Though delicious, it is not without power: too much on an empty stomach can make you feel tipsy! This food reflects the fusion of folk health practices and traditional Eastern medicine during the festival.
Seasonal Fruits: Nature’s Cleansing Medicine
Fruit plays a vital role during the Doan Ngo Festival, often displayed beautifully on ancestral altars. According to tradition, parasites within the body are “stunned” by fermented rice and then “destroyed” by the acidity of seasonal fruits—especially sour varieties.
Popular choices include:
- Lychee
- Plums
- Mangoes
- Mangosteen
- Pineapple
- Rambutan
Besides their symbolic meaning, fruits are a natural way to refresh the body and aid digestion during Vietnam’s hot, humid summer.
Duck Meat: Balancing Heat with Coolness
In Central and Southern Vietnam, it’s customary to eat duck on Doan Ngo Day. According to Eastern medicine principles, duck meat has a “cool” nature, ideal for balancing the intense summer heat and high yang energy of the festival day.
Photo: Pinterest
is practice also aligns with seasonal timing—ducks are at their prime around late May and early June, with tender, flavorful meat and less gamey odor. Interestingly, while duck is often avoided at the start of the lunar month due to superstitions about bad luck, the 5th day of the 5th month is considered an exception.
Chè Trôi Nước (Glutinous Rice Dumplings in Ginger Syrup)
Although typically associated with Tết Hàn Thực in the North (on the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month), in Southern Vietnam, chè trôi nước is enjoyed during the Doan Ngo Festival.
These round dumplings are made from glutinous rice dough and filled with mung bean paste, served in a warm, fragrant ginger syrup and often topped with coconut cream. The round shape and soft texture represent harmony and wholeness, while the use of glutinous rice aligns with the festival's theme of cleansing and nourishing the body.
Eating chè trôi nước on this day is a sweet reminder that healing and balance can be both medicinal and delicious.
Eating sour fruits on Doan Ngo Festival to begin the day.
According to Vietnamese tradition, consuming sour fruits on Doan Ngo Day is believed to help "kill inner parasites" and purify the body by flushing out impurities and excess heat—especially during the peak of summer.
When to Celebrate: The Power of the Noon Hour
Why 12 PM is Spiritually Significant
According to traditional beliefs, 12 PM (the hour of Ngọ) marks the peak of yang energy in the universe. This is the most auspicious time to present offerings, perform cleansing rituals, and consume symbolic foods. Whether you join a local family or witness ceremonies at temples, the energy of noon on Doan Ngo Day is sacred and unforgettable.
Why You Should Travel to Vietnam During Doan Ngo Festival
Experience a Hidden Gem of Vietnamese Culture
Most international visitors know about Tết (Lunar New Year), but few ever witness the Doan Ngo Festival. That makes it the perfect opportunity for curious travelers to experience authentic, unfiltered Vietnamese tradition—away from tourist crowds.
- Taste seasonal dishes made only once a year
- Participate in ancient ancestral rites
- Capture rare, colorful photo opportunities
- Interact with locals during real cultural moments
Travel Tips for Doan Ngo Festival 2025
Book Early and Go Local
Since May 31, 2025 is a Saturday, expect local tourism to peak. Book accommodations early if you plan to visit Huế, Hội An, Hanoi, or the Mekong Delta. To dive deeper, consider joining local cooking classes, street food tours, or staying in a homestay for a more immersive experience.
Don’t Just Visit—Live the Culture of Vietnam
Celebrate Doan Ngo Festival 2025 with locals, eat with purpose, and learn the deeper meanings behind every bite and ritual. This is more than a holiday—it’s a once-in-a-year chance to witness a living tradition that connects food, family, and folklore across the heart of Vietnam.
Start your journey today and create unforgettable memories in Vietnam here:
Vietnam Package Tour - Immersive 15-Day Journey Through Vietnam's Heart and Soul (innoviet.com)
1-day Mekong tour from Can Tho | The Myst Mekong
Cu Chi Tunnels & Mekong Rural Life
Mekong Delta 1-Day Tour - Ben Tre boat and bike experience
Mekong Delta homestay 2 days tour with cycling trip in non-touristy villages
Mekong Delta tour 3 days with homestay - cycling - Cai Rang floating market
We hope that your experience will be nothing short of amazing
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