Yen Tu Mountain in Quang Ninh Province is famous for wonderful scenery and ancient, beautiful pagodas. Each year thousands of pilgrims from around the country come during the annual Yen Tu Spring Festival to climb the pilgrimage route from the foot of the mountain to Dong Pagoda.
More recently the mountain has also gained a reputation for the number of bamboo sprouts vendors who come there to earn a living.
Thanks to the availability of the cable cars it is easy to reach the top of Yen Tu Mountain whose peak is over 1,000m above sea level. But the vendors still trek up the mountain over large slippery rocks to find bamboo shoots and other valuable health plants. To them, the imposing Yen Tu Mountain is an asset to help them survive the hardships.
In early morning when the mountain is still blanketed in mist the first pilgrims on the mountain will be surprised to find vendors already prepared to sell their goods at the base of the mountain and even at the top. They also sell medicinal plants which can cure some diseases.
Pilgrims often return from their trip with a pack of bamboo sprouts as gifts for their families, priced from VND10,000 to VND20,000.
This is why Yen Tu Mountain has become known for its tourist products of bamboo shoots and medicinal plants.