One of Viet Nam’s longest festivals, the Huong (Perfume) Pagoda festival, kicked off Wednesday – the sixth day of the first lunar month – in Huong Son Commune, My Duc District, on the outskirts of Ha Noi.
The opening day of the festival this year was expected to attract around 50,000 tourists and pilgrims nationwide.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Hau, the vice chairman of My Duc District’s People’s Committee and also the head of the organisation department, this year’s festival has been thoroughly prepared, particularly after the Huong pagoda complex was officially recognised as a National Special Relic by the Prime Minister this year.
On the opening day of Huong Pagoda Festival (Photo: vnexpress.net)
He also added that boats with engines are still prohibited on the Yen Stream, except for those of special forces on duty like police, forest wardens or medical staff.
Around 4,500 boats, which have been numbered for better management, have been painted blue. The festival has also been provided with more dustbins and lifejackets to ensure the safety of tourists and protection of the environment.
Huong Pagoda Festival attracted approximately 1.5 million visitors last year, yielding roughly VND20 billion (US$881,000) from ticket sales, said Mr. Hau.
“The organisation department will perform better, offering more professional services and ensuring security to attract more tourists,” he added.
The price of admission to the pagoda has remained unchanged at VND80,000, including boat transportation on the Yen Stream.
In order to handle the problem of overcharging, a market-watch team has been established, while the shops along the banks of Yen River have to display signboards and phone numbers.
“The hotline number of the vice chairman of the district’s People’s Committee and head of the organisation department is also published so that tourists can make contact when necessary,” Mr. Hau said.
Although the festival officially opened yesterday, tens of thousands of people have headed to the pagoda since the beginning of the Lunar New Year, particular on the fifth day of the first lunar month.
In the first three days of the Lunar New Year, February 16-18, Huong Pagoda received over 700,000 visitors, increasing 20 percent over the same period last year.
Built between the 18th and 19th centuries, the Huong Pagoda complex features a large number of shrines and natural caves filled with marvellous stalactites and stalagmites.
Located at about 60km from downtown Ha Noi, the pagoda is one of the most famous cultural and spiritual tourism destinations in the north of the country. Huong Pagoda Festival, which starts on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year and runs until the end of the third lunar month, attracts thousands of tourists and pilgrims every year.
Also on the same day, many major festivals have been celebrated, including Bai Dinh Pagoda festival in the northern province of Ninh Binh Province, Giong festival in Soc Son District and Hai Ba Trung Temple festival in Me Linh District on the outskirts of Ha Noi. Bai Dinh Pagoda festival will run until the end of the third lunar month while the other two will last until the eighth day of the first lunar month, which falls on February 23.