Different from song exchanges in other places, the Quan Ho folk song festival is very well organised. The participants must belong to group of singers that have entered into a brother-sister relationship: a number of male singers organise "a group of Quan Ho male singers"; after visiting a festival several times, the group detects a similarly organised group of female Quan Ho singers whose performance is to its liking; thereupon, the group of Quan Ho male singers makes an offer for a brother-sister relationship; if the offer is accepted, both groups organise a solemn but simple ceremony. A representative of the male group, carrying a tray of betel leaves and areca nuts, should visit the family of the representative of the female group in order to seek her parents' permission for the relationship. Thereafter, with the permission of the parents, both groups perform a ceremony, at the communal house, wherein they officially announce the establishment of this relationship to the titular head and the whole village of the female group. Then, the female group of Quan Ho singers visits the village of the male group, where both groups exchange songs for a whole night, with warm hospitality provided by the host village. Thereafter each group calls each other as "Quan Ho brothers" and "Quan Ho sisters", and individual members of each group call his or her partners in the other group as "Elder brother," "Second brother" or "Elder Sister," "Second Sister," and both groups would sing together at festivals. Further, they give each other mutual assistance in various fields of daily life, both on happy occasions and in misfortune. However, inter-marriage is, in general, not encouraged.

Depending on the traditions and conditions of various villages, Quan Ho folk song festivals can be held indoors, in the yard of the communal house or of the pagoda, in large land spaces or on boats being gently rowed down the river, or elsewhere. In addition to Quan Ho folk songs, village festivals also contain other traditional games and entertainments, contests, fairs and other cultural activities.

Lung Giang village (of Noi Due commune, Tien Son district) ranks first among the above-mentioned 49 villages in organising Quan Ho folk song festivals. Since Lim Hill, is located in this village, its Quan Ho folk song festival is also named the Lim Festival. In order to attend the Lim Festival, one should, starting northward from Hanoi, follow Highway No 1 for 24 kilometres up to Lim railway station which is a few hundred metres away from Lim Hill.

The Lim festival opens on January 13 (lunar year), as the leading Quan Ho song festival, because many famous Quan Ho Song villages - such as Biu, Tam Sown - take part in it.

The opening date of the Festival is related to a legend: a native woman of the Eastern hamlet of Noi Due commune, named Ba Mu, became a Buddhist monk at the Lim Pagoda and, thereafter, reached enlightenment. When a serious drought hit the village, the inhabitants came to the pagoda and begged her for assistance and the drought was ended. As a result, the villagers of Lung Giang, alias Lim village, worshipped her as their Village Spirit Protector and took the date of her enlightenment as the date of their festival.

Elaborate preparations are made several months in advance for the Lim festival: intense rehearsal takes place by individual groups of male and female singers, then several song exchanges are performed on a trial basis by brother-sister groups, and invitations are sent to famous Quan Ho song groups to attend the festival.

Groups of Quan Ho singers come to the Lim festival dressed in their best and with a distinctive style: young men wear long black silk gauze dresses, long white trousers and black turbans, while girls wear traditional long red crepe dresses provided with trimmings of various colours, red tunics, rosy coloured belt, golden earrings and key chains.

There are broadly two patterns of performance in Lim Quan Ho song festivals: Quan Ho teams or individual singers who attend and contribute to the festival would sing in open-air spaces and around the Lim Hill, whereas groups that have entered into a brother-sister relationship would sing indoors.

Indoor performances involve elaborate preparations and thoughtful hospitality, with a host and a hostess providing Quan Ho food (to be paid for by the singers), tea, betel and a convenient and clean room. After the ceremony in honour of Lord Buddha, the visiting Quan Ho singer group is escorted to the house of the host party and song exchanges start at the very entrance with house-songs of greetings performed by the visitors, and welcome songs by the host singers. Thereafter, both groups enter the room and sit on long benches or beds located opposite one another, and the song exchanges begin in earnest.

In terms of contents, the Quan Ho song exchange is multifaceted, involving analogies, questions and replies and quizzes on a myriad of subjects. As a rule, all messages must be in songs with occasionally some explanations to further elucidate the ideas. During lunch, the host singers must provide company to their partners, offer them food and, again, songs. In the afternoon, the visiting singers are requested to continue the song exchange up to midnight when there would be recess and a tea party. Thereafter, the song exchange goes on until dawn, when guests and hosts and hostesses, again in the form of songs, bid farewell and express keen hope to meet again some time in the future.

In addition to singing performances, the Lim Festival involves many other games such as the swinging, human chess, wrestling and more. It is also a traditional opportunity for young men and women to seek life partners. But the Quan Ho singers remain the most striking feature of the festival. Their elegant dresses, men holding umbrellas, women wearing traditional large flat hats and colourful belts, their discreet manners, and their way of approaching one another in the form of songs. If these overtures appear promising and show to both groups that there can be fruitful co-operation, the song exchange will start in earnest. Otherwise, each group tries to find another group of partners.