In many rural communities, play was shaped by the spaces and materials already available.

A courtyard could become a place for a chasing game. A village square could hold a tug-of-war contest. Stones or seeds could be used for a counting game. Bamboo might become a pair of stilts, a balance challenge or part of a swing.

The agricultural calendar also influenced when people played. Tet and the spring festival season arrived after periods of work and preparation, creating time for communities to meet, visit temples, watch competitions and participate in games.

This is why Vietnamese folk games should not be understood only as children’s entertainment. Some were connected to village identity, agricultural wishes, courtship, physical training or community rituals.

Kéo co, or tug of war, is one of Vietnam’s most recognisable communal games.

Two teams pull in opposite directions, but strength alone does not guarantee victory. Players must keep their balance, coordinate their rhythm and respond as one group. A smaller team pulling together can sometimes defeat a stronger but poorly organised opponent.

In a casual setting, kéo co can be organised with a rope and a line marked on the ground. During traditional festivals, however, some forms of tugging carry deeper cultural meaning.

Tugging rituals and games have been practised in rice-growing communities across parts of East and Southeast Asia. They have been associated with communal solidarity and wishes for favourable weather and successful harvests. The shared heritage of Cambodia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea and Vietnam was inscribed by UNESCO in 2015.

This context makes kéo co more than a convenient team-building activity. It reflects the importance of rhythm, cooperation and the agricultural community.

Image required: A genuine community tug-of-war game with both teams and spectators visible.

In rồng rắn lên mây, usually translated as a dragon-and-snake game, players form a long line by holding the person in front of them.

The player at the head tries to protect the people behind while another player attempts to catch the person at the end of the line. As the leader turns and changes direction, the whole group must move together without breaking apart.

The game requires no special equipment. Its energy comes from movement, chanting, cooperation and the challenge of keeping the “dragon” connected.

It is particularly suitable for mixed groups because the rules can be demonstrated visually. Children understand the movement quickly, while adults often become part of the game instead of remaining outside as spectators.

In the best-known form of bịt mắt bắt dê, a blindfolded player tries to catch another participant by listening to footsteps, voices and movement.

The game becomes funny because the player cannot see what the spectators can see. People nearby may shout instructions, give deliberately confusing directions or laugh as the blindfolded player moves towards an empty space.

Visitor-friendly versions can replace unrestricted chasing with a smaller, clearly marked area. Another variation is bịt mắt đánh trống, in which the blindfolded participant attempts to walk towards and strike a drum.

Blindfold games require supervision, a level surface and clear boundaries. The cultural value comes from listening, guessing and the interaction between player and audience—not from making the activity physically dangerous.

Bamboo and wood have long been familiar materials in Vietnamese rural life. They also appear in games that test balance and coordination.

Walking on stilts, known as đi cà kheo, requires players to control both their bodies and the poles beneath them. More experienced participants may race, while beginners simply try to take several steps without falling.

Stilt games are especially visible in cultural events involving some of Vietnam’s ethnic communities. They should not be presented as identical in every region.

For visitor participation, low training stilts, soft ground and assistance from a local host are more appropriate than a competitive race.

Ninh Binh has its own living examples of games within festivals and community events.

At the Hoa Lu Festival, activities recorded in past programmes have included human chess, cockfighting and tổ tôm điếm, a traditional card game played in festival shelters.

Human chess is especially suited to the historic atmosphere of Hoa Lu because it combines strategy, costume and public performance. It has been staged throughout the festival rather than as a casual activity available every day.

Cockfighting and traditional card games are part of the historical record of some festivals, but that does not mean they should automatically be reproduced as tourism activities.

In Nho Quan, community cultural events have featured activities such as tug of war, stick pushing, cloth-ball throwing, bamboo swinging, crossbow competitions and raft-related games. Several are connected to the traditions of ethnic communities living in the area.

These Ninh Binh examples show why folk games should be presented with local context. No single list represents every village or every cultural community in Vietnam.

Images required:

• Human chess at the Hoa Lu Festival.

• A real folk-game event in Nho Quan.

• A wide photograph showing spectators as part of the festival atmosphere.

Phoenix Valley, home to Hope Cavern, is being developed as an outdoor countryside experience between Tam Coc and Trang An.

The project does not need to reproduce an entire village festival. Instead, a carefully selected programme can introduce visitors to movement, cooperation, agricultural life and play within the landscape.

Activities being explored or prepared include rice planting, catching fish by hand, using a traditional nơm, fishing, muddy field activities and blindfolded duck catching. Hope Cavern and a nature walk may add another form of outdoor discovery.

These activities should not yet be treated as a confirmed daily programme. Availability will depend on the season, field conditions, weather, visitor facilities and the final operating plan.

Other games described in this article—such as human chess, bamboo swinging and traditional wrestling—are included to explain the wider culture of Tet and village festivals. They are not a list of promised activities at Phoenix Valley.

Images required later:

• Rice planting in the actual Phoenix field.

• A participant catching fish by hand.

• A real nơm being used in shallow water.

• Fishing beside one of the ponds.

• A supervised blindfolded duck-catching activity.

• A wide photograph connecting the field activities with the Phoenix landscape.

Traditional Vietnamese games reveal how communities created joy from familiar spaces, simple materials and shared participation.

Some reward strength. Others depend on strategy, balance, patience or careful listening. Festival games gather an audience, while children’s games allow everyone to join with almost no equipment.

Countryside activities add another layer. Planting rice, catching fish or learning how to use a bamboo nơm connects play with the practical knowledge of rural life.

For travellers, the most meaningful experience is not completing the longest possible list of activities. It is understanding where an activity came from, learning its Vietnamese name and participating with respect for the people, animals and landscape around it.

Phoenix Valley is still developing its own outdoor programme. As the experience takes shape, the goal should remain simple: not to stage an artificial festival, but to create a place where visitors can move, learn and share time in the Vietnamese countryside.