In the highland commune of Tân Trịnh, in Vietnam's Tuyên Quang Province, dancers will step barefoot onto glowing embers this November — and hundreds of visitors are expected to watch. The second Pà Thẻn Fire Dancing Festival takes place on November 24, timed to coincide with Việt Nam Cultural Day and part of the run-up to the 2026 Great National Unity Day celebrations.
The ritual itself is no staged gimmick. The fire dance is a sacred ceremony central to the spiritual life of the Pà Thẻn, a small ethnic group living in northern Vietnam's mountainous interior. Dancers cross the hot coals barefoot in one of the country's most striking cultural performances, a display tied to beliefs about the natural world and read by the community as a demonstration of courage, resilience and identity. The practice has been recognised as National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The festival draws delegations from eight communes — Tân Trịnh, Yên Thành, Quang Bình, Thông Nguyên, Tân Quang, Liên Hiệp, Tri Phú and Minh Quang — each sending 25 to 40 artisans, performers and amateur athletes. Beyond the fire itself, expect artistic performances, cultural exchanges and sport, with the communities using the gathering to swap ideas on keeping traditions alive and passing them to younger generations. Organisers say the goal is to widen public awareness and get local people more involved in protecting the heritage.
The highlight comes at 8.10pm on November 24, with the opening ceremony and the fire dance performance itself. If you can't make it to Tân Trịnh, the ceremony will be broadcast live on TTV and streamed on the digital platforms of Tuyên Quang Newspaper and Radio and Television — a rare case of a small ethnic ritual getting a national broadcast.
For travellers, this is a genuine alternative to the well-trodden northern Vietnam circuit. Tuyên Quang sits northeast of Hanoi, far quieter than Sapa or Ha Long, and the festival offers something most tourists never see: a heritage ceremony performed by the community that owns it, on its own terms. Come for the fire dance, stay for the mountain scenery and the chance to meet Pà Thẻn artisans from eight different communes in one place. If you're planning a late-November trip to northern Vietnam, building a few days around this date would pay off.
