Dinh Thay Thim Festival 2026: Spreading cultural values, strengthening tourism links
The 2026 Dinh Thay Thim Culture and Tourism Festival concluded with several highlights, attracting around 45,000 visitors during the festival week. Beyond meeting the spiritual and pilgrimage needs of residents and visitors, the festival helped preserve and promote cultural heritage, showcase distinctive local products and create new opportunities for tourism development in Tan Hai Commune, Lam Dong.
A lasting impression of spiritual and cultural heritage
Held from October 23 to 25, the Dinh Thay Thim Festival was not only a place for pilgrimage, incense offerings and prayers for peace, but also a space for preserving the distinctive cultural, historical and spiritual values of Tan Hai.
The legend of Thay Thim has been passed down through generations as a folk tale celebrating compassion, morality and service to the community. Stories of Thay Thim preparing medicine to treat the sick, helping residents build boats and supporting people in their work and daily lives convey lessons of kindness, sharing and responsibility toward the community.
Each festival season is also an occasion for people living away from their hometown to return, and for families and neighbors to reunite, honor their ancestors and strengthen community bonds. Over time, the moral values embodied by Thay Thim have become part of the cultural life and social conduct of communities in the former Tam Tan area.
The Dinh Thay Thim Festival is not only a spiritual practice for local residents but also a cultural heritage with broad appeal. Traditional rituals, together with cultural and artistic activities, create a space where residents can practice their beliefs and visitors can learn about local customs, traditions and the depth of indigenous culture.”
Luu Xuan Truong, Chairman of the Tan Hai Commune People's Committee
The 2026 festival continued to uphold these values while aiming to ensure a solemn, safe and well-organized event that met the spiritual and sightseeing needs of residents and visitors.
The continuation of traditional rituals, including the deity-welcoming ceremony and the procession carrying the royal decree from the Thay Thim tomb to the main shrine, together with cultural and artistic activities at the heritage site and the Tam Tan beach area, helped create a distinctive festival atmosphere that drew large numbers of residents and visitors.
Growing appeal and notable results
One of the most notable highlights of this year's festival was the sharp increase in pilgrims and visitors.
The festival's appeal was reflected in an estimated 45,000 visits during the peak festival week and 65,000-70,000 visits throughout the festival month. Security and visitor safety were maintained, contributing to a welcoming and orderly festival atmosphere.
The 2026 Dinh Thay Thim Culture and Tourism Festival was largely successful, reflecting the local government's proactive approach to preparation, coordination and management.
A notable new feature this year was the introduction of exhibition booths showcasing OCOP and other distinctive local products, expanding the festival's role in promoting culture and tourism while supporting the local economy.
Greater attention was also given to promoting the heritage site, with initial steps toward digitizing materials to preserve and enhance its long-term value.
The success of the 2026 festival was reflected not only in visitor numbers but also in efforts to preserve spiritual and cultural values, renew festival activities and gradually connect heritage with local tourism and commerce. These results provide an important foundation for Tan Hai to continue improving festival organization, enhance the visitor experience and develop Dinh Thay Thim into a sustainable cultural and spiritual tourism destination with broader appeal.
The festival space not only served those offering incense and praying for peace but also gave visitors an opportunity to learn about local history, legends, customs and cultural values. The activities enriched the visitor experience, created a lively and festive atmosphere, and strengthened community ties.
Local authorities, functional forces and residents worked together to prepare for and support the festival, ensuring convenient conditions for participants.
Alongside careful preparations, another new highlight this year was a 40-booth exhibition space featuring OCOP and other distinctive local products.
The initiative is considered an important way to diversify the visitor experience while creating opportunities to promote products and connect tourism with local production, business and community life.
A carefully selected range of OCOP products, local specialties and souvenirs, including coffee, fish sauce, dried seafood and macadamia nuts, helped give visitors a distinctive impression of their journey through Tan Hai.
Tran Xuan Tham, a visitor from Khanh Hoa, said: “This year's festival has more new features. The main festival grounds are more beautifully decorated, and there is also an interesting area where visitors can explore and experience local agricultural products. I think this should be maintained and preserved because this is no longer only a spiritual destination. Pilgrims can stay longer to enjoy activities, shop and explore.”
The product exhibition also provided producers, cooperatives and OCOP businesses with opportunities to engage directly with customers and seek new promotional and sales opportunities.
Distinctive Lam Dong products such as Moka coffee, Binh An Farm's Hoang Kim passion fruit, Binh An young melons, Da Mi durian and processed agricultural products helped showcase the locality's potential and strengths to visitors.
Connecting heritage values with new tourism opportunities
Building on the appeal of the 2026 festival, Tan Hai Commune now has a stronger foundation for promoting the spiritual and cultural values of Dinh Thay Thim while linking them with ecotourism, community-based tourism and coastal resort experiences.
Under its development orientation for 2026-2030, with a vision to 2035, the locality identifies tourism as an important economic sector, with Dinh Thay Thim serving as the centerpiece of cultural and spiritual tourism.
Alongside preserving the heritage site and traditional rituals, connecting OCOP product displays, local cuisine, specialty producers and tourist attractions will help diversify visitor experiences and encourage longer stays. It will also allow cooperatives, producers and local residents to participate more deeply in tourism, promote local products and create livelihoods linked to cultural preservation and environmental protection.
Nearly 70,000 visits during the ninth lunar month are a positive sign of Dinh Thay Thim's growing appeal. But to turn the steady flow of visitors to this sacred destination into a long-term development resource, Tan Hai needs to continue improving the quality of the visitor experience, developing tourism products and creating opportunities for the local community to participate and benefit.
The 2026 Dinh Thay Thim Festival not only helped preserve and spread distinctive spiritual and cultural values but also highlighted the potential to connect heritage with tourism-driven economic development. By preserving traditional culture, elevating local products and developing coastal landscapes responsibly, Tan Hai can bring its image closer to visitors and build a more sustainable tourism future.