The Do Son Ward People's Committee announced this decision after receiving feedback from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism regarding the proposal to reinstate qualifying rounds for the traditional Do Son buffalo fighting festival.

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, the traditional Do Son buffalo fighting festival is a national intangible cultural heritage. Local authorities have the autonomy to decide the organization and scale of the rounds, ensuring they align with practical conditions and community aspirations.

Do Son buffalo fighting is a national intangible cultural heritage. *Le Tan*

Pham Hoang Tuan, Vice Chairman of Do Son Ward People's Committee, the festival's organizing unit, confirmed that qualifying rounds are included in the festival's heritage dossier.

"Organizing qualifying rounds is traditional, it enhances the quality of matches, and helps select better buffaloes for the final," he stated.

The Do Son buffalo fighting festival originated from the worship of Diem Tuoc Dai Vuong, the deity of Do Son's land and water. It developed over centuries, passed down through generations, and is integral to the region's development and people.

After a period of suspension, the festival was revived in 1990 and has been held continuously since. In 2012, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism recognized it as a national intangible cultural heritage.

In 2017, a serious incident occurred during a qualifying round when a buffalo gored its owner to death. Consequently, since then, the festival has only featured a final round with 16 buffaloes. This limitation reduced the quality of matches and led to selection issues, sometimes requiring a lottery system to choose participants when buffaloes were unable to compete. Buffalo owners had to negotiate to select festival participants.