Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival – The Unique Festival In Hai Phong

Updated: 08/19/2019

As one of the unique traditional festivals in Vietnam, Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival in Hai Phong (Hải Phòng) City has attracted a large number of tourists and visitors who gather at a stadium located in Do Son (Đồ Sơn), Hai Phong City to enjoy the spectacle event annually. Hai Phong is the coastal city which is well-known for beautiful beaches and picturesque landscapes. If you have a chance to travel to Hai Phong City, please do not forget to visit the Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival that lets you know more about the honor, bravery and risk-taking spirit of the locals living in the northern city of Hai Phong. Visiting this festival, you can take part in the buffalo battles and a variety of traditional ceremonies and activities in Hai Phong. 

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Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival – Enjoyable Traditional Event

The Buffalo Fighting Festival in Do Son comes due to the perspective that buffalo fighting is considered as guardian gods. So, in this festival, locals in Do Son and residents from many parts of Hai Phong city gather to pray the Gods for  productive crops, secure voyages, wealth and health. 

Organized in September and taking place at the stadium in Do Son Town, the Buffalo Fighting Festival needs preparing for months in advance. Each participant of the festival will choose the ideal buffalo based on the characteristics like a wide chest, a long neck, and bow-shaped horns. The Buffaloes used for the festival have to be between four and five years old. After selecting the best buffalo, individuals will train them for months. To ensure the health and strength of these animals, they are fed with the nutritious diet and kept away from other animals. Before the buffalo fighting battle, locals will select their favorite buffalo. In the night before the festival, ceremonies of praying for good luck take place in the General Commune House, Do Son District. When the ritual finishes, each chosen buffalo is called “Sir Buffalo” officially as the locals believe that “Sir Buffalo” reflects the villagers’ wish, spirituality, and belief. 

On the day of the festival, there is a large parade with plenty of color with six strong men carrying a chair and chosen buffalo led by 24 men to the fighting arena. Before the fight starts, people dance, sing and play gongs and drums with the participation of the crowd. Two animals are taken to the grounds of the fighting circle. Then, they are unleashed to fight each other with the spectacular cheer and yell from the crowd. The time of fighting varies, depending on the strength of these animals.

The winning animal of the fight will continue to compete in the next round until there is only one buffalo. The individual who has the winning buffalo will get 40 million VND. The villagers winning the battle will celebrate the victory with a great party for the whole evening. However, no matter whether buffalo loses or wins, they will be killed to sell meat outside the stadium. People buy this fresh meat with the belief of getting good luck. 

The Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival is a unique traditional event of Vietnam which expresses the spirit, belief, and hope of residents in Do Son, Hai Phong. Nowadays, the festival has drawn the interest of not only local residents but also international tourists. I hope that you will find useful information in this article. Any questions can be left in the comment section, and we will answer them as soon as we can. If you want to know more about traditional festivals in Vietnam, please do not hesitate to visit Vina.com.