3,000 Volunteers Cook Free Vegetarian Feasts to Honor National Hero Nguyễn Trung Trực

Around 3,000 volunteers joined efforts to prepare free vegetarian meals for locals and visitors attending the 157th anniversary of the death of national hero Nguyễn Trung Trực, a major traditional festival held annually in southern Vietnam.

A Grand Festival Honoring a National Hero

The traditional festival commemorating 157 years since the heroic sacrifice of Nguyễn Trung Trực (1868–2025) took place from October 17 to 19 (the 26th to 28th days of the eighth lunar month) in Rạch Giá Ward, An Giang Province. Preparations—including setting up tents, decorating the temple grounds, and organizing vegetarian food services—had been meticulously carried out many days in advance.

According to Mr. Nguyễn Phước Hoa, a member of the Management Board of the Nguyễn Trung Trực Temple and Historical Site, by October 14, organizers had received an impressive amount of donated ingredients:

• 133 tons of rice,

• 5 tons of sugar,

• 2.5 tons of sticky rice,

• and hundreds of tons of fresh vegetables and fruits.

  

All of these were generously contributed by local vendors, residents, and philanthropists. The ingredients were sent to processing stations, where they were cleaned and prepared before being cooked for the festival.

Thousands of Volunteers, Thousands of Meals

Mr. Hoa shared:

“Around 3,000 volunteers have been assigned specific roles to support the festival at the temple. This year, the organizers have set up six rice stations, two pancake stations, and two beverage stations, all serving the public free of charge. All dishes are freshly cooked and mainly vegetarian.”

Among the volunteers, Mr. Đặng Văn Đẩm, 63, from Đồng Tháp Province, was carefully tying banana leaves and bamboo strings to make tens of thousands of bánh tét (Vietnamese sticky rice cakes) for the event.

At Rice Station No. 2, Mr. Phạm Minh Tuấn, 49, from An Giang, continuously stirred ingredients such as pineapple, banana, lemongrass, and tofu in a large wok for over an hour to make a fragrant batch of vegetarian fermented fish sauce (mắm chưng chay).

Meanwhile, teams of servers moved swiftly to deliver hot, freshly cooked rice to guests attending the ceremony.

Mr. Trần Ngọc Tuyền, 39, a resident of Rạch Giá Ward, shared:

“This isn’t just a time to honor national hero Nguyễn Trung Trực; it also reflects the generosity and hospitality of the people of the Mekong Delta.”

A Festival of Gratitude and National Pride

According to the Management Board of the Nguyễn Trung Trực Temple, the 2024 festival welcomed over 1.6 million visitors from across the country—making it one of the most significant annual cultural and spiritual events in southern Vietnam.

Remembering Nguyễn Trung Trực

Nguyễn Trung Trực, born Nguyễn Văn Lịch in 1838 in Tân An, Gia Định Province (present-day Tây Ninh Province), was a national hero who led guerrilla forces against French colonial troops and achieved several remarkable victories.

In September 1868, he was captured by the French. Despite brutal interrogations and offers to surrender, he remained steadfast in his loyalty. Before his execution in Rạch Giá, he declared boldly:

“Only when the Westerners have uprooted all the grass in Vietnam will they be able to stop the Vietnamese from fighting them.”

In deep respect and admiration, the people of the Mekong Delta built shrines in his honor, including at Lăng Cá Ông Temple. Each year, his memorial festival grows larger in scale, drawing millions of participants who come not only to pay tribute to a national hero but also to celebrate the enduring spirit of Vietnamese unity, generosity, and resilience.