Buffalo fighting is a unique and traditional festival of people in Do Son District, Haiphong City. This festival is not only associated with Water Goddess worshiping and sacrificing custom but also expressed bravery, chivalry, and risk-taking spirit of people in the coastal city of Haiphong. The festival is annually and officially operated on the 9th day of the 8th month in Vietnamese Lunar Calendar; however, its preparation takes participants nearly a year to process. From choosing the right buffaloes to buy, raising and training them-all of which require hard work and ongoing effort. For example, selection of fighting buffaloes only must be in great meticulosity as they must meet a wide range of requirements: at least 4 or 5 years old, wide chest, bow-shape horns, toned thighs, and long tail. Also, these buffaloes are kept separately from normal ones, and so on. The festival derives from the belief of Do Son’s locals that buffalo fighting is in favor of their guardian gods and hence a continuity of this activity brings them safe voyages, abundant crops as well as healthy and wealthy people-signs of prosperity and happiness.
