Published:  00:00 Saturday - February 20, 2010

A festival to commemorate two national heroes, the Trung Sisters (Trung Trac and Trung Nhi), who led the country against northern invaders 1970 years ago, opened on February 19.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan suggested that Hanoi pay due attention to combining tourism development with preserving national cultural values.

A series of activities are being held during the three-day event, including a procession of the imperial palanquin, fighting elephants and offerings from the Ha Loi Temple to the Trung Sisters’ Temple, musical performances, dragon and lion dances and folk games are also taking place.

In 39 AD, the aristocratic widow Lady Le Chan and the Trung Sisters formed an army to revolt against the Chinese coming from the north.

The revolt was briefly successful and the older sister, Trung Trac, established herself as ruler of an independent state and chose Me Linh as a new capital.

However, four years later, Chinese feudal armies returned and the Trung forces were routed. The Trung Sisters drowned themselves in the Hat river rather than submit to capture.