Ensuring security during the festival season.

(Baonghean) - After the Lunar New Year, festivals are taking place at many spiritual sites in the province, attracting a large number of people to visit and participate in religious ceremonies. Ensuring security, order, and traffic safety during the festivals is being implemented comprehensively and decisively by local police forces...

Vinh City police are enforcing security measures at the festival in Ho Chi Minh Square. Photo: Tran Hai

As one of the first localities in the province to hold its festival, Nam Dan district concluded the King Mai Festival safely and orderly, receiving high praise from visitors near and far. Throughout the festival, the functional forces of Nam Dan district were always on duty to ensure the safety of participants. In particular, the stretch of road from National Highway 46 to the King Mai temple in Nam Dan town, bordered by Sa Nam market on one side and shops on the other, was always bustling with people shopping for the Lunar New Year's full moon and attending the King Mai Festival, yet there was no chaos whatsoever.

The Nam Dan District Police mobilized more than 50 officers and soldiers to coordinate with the police and militia forces of three localities: Nam Dan Town, Van Dien Commune, and Nam Thuong Commune. They were stationed at hotspots to manage and regulate traffic, and guide people to locations for the water procession, ceremonial announcements, cultural and artistic activities, and human chess games. Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Nam Dan Town, said: “Learning from previous festival seasons, this year we mobilized all militia and police officers to support the district traffic police in ensuring traffic order and safety. Therefore, during the three days of the festival, despite the large number of participants, including many delegates from the Central and provincial levels, as well as tourists from other provinces, there were no traffic jams or unfortunate traffic accidents.”

Cờn Temple in Hoàng Mai Town is a popular destination for visitors from other provinces. According to visitors, traffic congestion was absent this year; this is partly due to the efforts of the local police and the Hoàng Mai Town police in ensuring the safety of the festival. Mr. Nguyễn Duy Năm, a driver with 10 years of experience on the Hanoi - Con Cuông route, said: "Previously, going to Cờn Temple was very difficult for drivers; there were many visitors, traffic was chaotic, and there were occasional traffic jams, but this year there was absolutely no such problem." On the pilgrimage to Cờn Temple, we spoke with Nguyễn Hải Anh from Phương Liệt Ward, Đống Đa District (Hanoi). He said: "Although I'm from Nghệ An, due to my busy business, my whole family only returns home for the Lunar New Year's full moon, both to attend ancestral ceremonies and to pray at Cờn Temple for the new year. In previous years, it took an hour or more to get my car back after the ceremony." Along the road from the inner Cờn Temple to the outer Cờn Temple, beggars sat scattered everywhere, creating a very unpleasant sight. But this year, the organizers did a great job; there was no more crowding, pushing, traffic jams, or traffic safety issues…

Lieutenant Colonel Cao Thanh Hai, Deputy Chief of Police of Hoang Mai Town, and Head of the Sub-committee for Security, Order, and Traffic Safety at the Corn Temple Festival, stated: To ensure the safety of the Corn Temple Festival, the town's police force developed a security plan even before Tet (Lunar New Year). Accordingly, the district police, in coordination with the Quynh Phuong ward police, border guards, and civil defense forces, deployed a total of 126 personnel, along with the support of local militia. Starting from the morning of March 10th (the 20th day of the first lunar month), these forces will be on duty in the temple area, at numerous checkpoints along Route 537B (from the intersection in Quynh Di ward connecting to National Highway 1A), and other routes leading to Corn Temple. A thorough plan to prevent traffic congestion has been implemented. The vendors signed a commitment not to encroach on sidewalks and roads for business, not to set up illegal prayer writing stalls, and not to solicit customers to buy offerings… All these measures have been carefully considered and prepared to ensure that people have a peaceful and sacred festival.”

One spiritual site that always attracts a large number of pilgrims at the beginning of the year is the Ong Hoang Muoi Temple (Hung Nguyen). According to our observations, in the days following Tet (Lunar New Year), despite the large number of visitors, the parking area and the temple entrance were very orderly, with no soliciting for offerings or writing prayers; pickpocketing and theft did not occur...

January is the festival season. Besides national-level historical sites, almost all districts and towns in the province have spiritual sites that attract people to visit, enjoy the scenery, and pray for peace at the beginning of the year. Ensuring the safety of people participating in festivals has been a priority for the Nghe An Provincial Police since before the Lunar New Year. Along with the intensified crime crackdown before, during, and after Tet, the provincial police have also implemented comprehensive and decisive measures to ensure the absolute safety of spring festivals, deploying them to police forces in all districts, cities, and towns. Plans to strengthen festival security have also been seriously implemented with the participation of local military forces, militia, and neighborhood security guards. Hopefully, with the decisive involvement of all levels, sectors, organizing committees, and localities, spring festivals throughout the province will be safe; and visitors from all over will have a truly peaceful and happy festival season.

Canh Nam