Endowed with a coastline spanning more than 92 km in total, Da Nang boasts the rich history of distinctive marine culture with a wide range of festivals dedicated to the gods of the sea.

The procession of the Sea God in progress within the framework of the ‘Cau Ngu’ Festival

Experiencing the vicissitudes of the history, the status quo of cultural and spiritual heritage sites in Thanh Khe District has remained intact.

Most outstanding amongst such relic sites are the Thanh Khe Communal House, the Whale Temple, and a worship house of Thanh Khe District’s fisheries sector in Da Nang is dedicated to the fishermen who died or went missing at sea.

According to 74-year-old Le Van Le, one of the senior citizens having dozens of years’ experience in fishing at the Thanh Khe village, a total of 5 main festivals take place annually in his village. He added these are dubbed as an indispensable ‘spiritual food’ for his villagers.

These festivals are ‘Cau Ngu’ (Fish Worshipping) on 23^rd and 24^th days of the 1^{st l}unar month, a service of worship dedicated to the God of the Soil on the 2^nd day of the 2nd lunar month, a large-scale ritual to pray for wandering souls of the homeless on the 23^rd and 24^th days of the 3^rd lunar month, the Thanh Khe Communal House Festival on 10^th day of the 7^th lunar month, and Vu Lan Festival, also known as Buddhist Mother’s Day in Viet Nam on the 15^th day of the 7^th lunar month.

Festivals, imbued with the traditional marine culture, aim to enhance solidarity amongst fishermen to help them overcome difficulties in their lives.

These festivals comprise of many solemn traditional ceremonies and exciting folk games.

In particular, the festivals give a chance for Vietnamese whose livelihoods depend on fishing to pay tribute to all the fishermen who have lost their lives at sea, and to pray for a safe return and a good catch.

In the spotlight at the ‘Cau Ngu’ Festival is the traditional whale worshipping ceremony.

According to local mythology, whales rescue people in danger at sea, and can bring them a prosperous fishing season. Vietnamese fishermen called whales Nam Hai (South Sea) God which protects and supports them both in their daily life and at sea.

Each fishing village along local beaches builds a temple to worship the god of the sea, where a whale’s skeleton is buried.

Other ceremonies during the ‘Cau Ngu’ Festival included a funeral oration delivered to the God of Water, and traditional rituals to honour ancestors, and to pray for peace and prosperity throughout the year.

Alongside the solemn rituals are festive activities included ‘ba trao’ (dancing and singing local traditional folk songs) to honour the merits and virtues of the whale, and to show the local fishermen's strong desire for peaceful offshore fishing trips, with bumper catches. In addition, various exciting competitions were held at the event, including fishing net knitting, tug-of-war, and a coracle race.

In particular, before heading offshore on a long day trip, fishermen always come to temples to pray for their upcoming peaceful fishing trips, with bumper catches. If their dreams come true, they will make offerings to the temple as an act of paying their gratitude.

Currently, many of the district’s coastal sporting and festive activities are facing the threat of falling into oblivion. Hence, many elderly citizens always ponder on how to preserve and honour the rich history of the city’s marine cultural values in the current context of the city’s rapid urbanisation.