Local men in Yen Vien Village, Van Ha Commune, Viet Yen District in northern province of Bac Giang fight for a ball at a traditional Ball Catching in Mud Festival. The annual event is held between 12th and 14th of the fourth lunar month (May 10-12) to wish for a lucky and prosperous year. Young men in the village, who wear only loin-cloths and are divided into two teams. The site is filled with water and mud. Each man drinks three bowls of rice wine and eats some watermelon before joining a wrestling match, where the winners would be handed a 20kg-wooden ball to start the game. The two teams fight against each other to catch the ball. The match is more dramatically in slippery mud and rapid rhythms of drum. Such a match often lasts for three hours. — VNS Photo Truong Vi