Doan Ngo Festival, commonly known as the insect-killing festival, half-yearly festival… falls on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month every year.

Origin and meaning of Doan Ngo Festival.

Doan Ngo Tet, also known as Doan Duong Tet, is held at the hour of the Horse, on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month every year. This is a traditional New Year’s day in some East Asian countries such as Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and China. “Doan” means the beginning, “Ngo” is the time from 11 am to 1 pm. Doan Ngo festival is eaten at noon. Doan Ngo means the time when the sun is shortest and closest to heaven and earth. In Vietnam, Doan Ngo Tet is also known by the rather popular name of “Insect-killing Tet”. To put it simply, this is the day to launch a campaign to catch insects and destroy pests that are harmful to plants.

According to legend, one day after the harvest, farmers celebrated because they had a good harvest, but that year’s insects gathered thickly and ate the harvested fruit and food. Everyone had a headache and didn’t know how to solve this pest problem. Suddenly, an old man came from afar and called himself Doi Truan. He instructed people in each house to set up a simple offering altar consisting of ash cakes and fruit, then go out in front of their house to exercise. The people followed suit and a moment later, the swarm of insects fell down exhausted. The old man also added: Every year, insects are very aggressive on this day. Every year on this day, just do what I told you and you will be able to cure them. The grateful people were about to thank him, but the old man had already disappeared. To commemorate this, people named this day “Tet to kill insects”, some people call it “Tet Doan Ngo” because the worship time is usually in the middle of the “Ngo” time of the lunar calendar.

What to eat on Tet Doan Ngo?

Com ruou (Sticky rice wine and black sticky rice): these are indispensable things on Doan Ngo festival. According to many people’s beliefs, the human digestive tract often contains harmful parasites. They are often located deep in the stomach so they cannot always be destroyed. Only on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, these parasites often emerge, and we can take advantage of them to eliminate them by eating foods that are sour, spicy, and astringent, the most prominent of which is wine. sticky rice or black sticky rice. In particular, if you enjoy this wine in the morning, right after waking up, it will be more effective.

Ash cake: is a type of cake with a dark yellow color, made from sticky rice soaked with ash water from dried plants, then wrapped in banana leaves and boiled.

Fruits: with the desire to “destroy pests” inside the body, people often choose sour fruits such as plums, green mangoes… and eat them in the morning right after waking up.

Che troi nuoc: this is an indispensable dish on the Doan Ngo Tet holiday of the Southern people. Sweet soup balls made from glutinous rice flour, filled with green beans, served with coconut milk have a cool, delicious taste.

Hopefully through this article, you will better understand what Doan Ngo Festival is as well as its history and meaning.

Don’t hesitate to pack your luggage, come and discover the amazing land. For more information please visit our family website:

For Vietnam online visa Govietnamvisa.comFor Vietnam local tours: Govietnamtourist.comFor exploring more parts of Vietnam:http://www.vietnam-online.org/