Spiritual tourism in Nghe An attracts visitors at the beginning of the year.

Going to the temple at the beginning of the year.

Anh Son Pagoda, located in Hoa Son commune (Anh Son district), was recently renovated and has attracted a large number of locals and tourists from all over to visit and worship, especially during the early days of the Lunar New Year of the Dragon 2024.

Ms. Tran Thi Van from Tuong Son commune (Anh Son district) said: "In recent years, during the Lunar New Year, we often visit Anh Son Pagoda to pray for peace and good fortune. During this time, the pagoda welcomes a large number of visitors who come to admire the scenery and pray for peace."

Not only local residents of Anh Son district, Anh Son Pagoda also attracts many visitors from Do Luong, Tan Ky, and Con Cuong districts who come to worship. During the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Dragon alone, the pagoda attracted hundreds of locals and tourists.

Hoang Muoi Temple (Hung Nguyen) is one of the historical sites that attracts a large number of tourists who come to visit and pray for peace and prosperity. Thousands of visitors come here every day; during the recent Lunar New Year holiday alone, there were over 33,000 visitors. Not only do visitors from within the province come to Hoang Muoi Temple, but it also attracts a large number of visitors from outside the province, mainly from the northern provinces.

Ms. Trinh Thi Hien, a tourist from Thanh Hoa province, said: “Hoang Muoi Temple is famous for its sacredness, so every year at the beginning of spring, my group of friends and I rent a car to come here to offer prayers for good luck and prosperity in business. Because the temple is so sacred, the number of people in our group increases every year, and the temple is always crowded and bustling whenever we come here.”

Hailing from Hai Duong province, every year at the beginning of spring, Ms. Nguyen Phuong Nhung makes time to travel hundreds of kilometers to Nghe An to offer incense at Hoang Muoi Temple. For Ms. Nhung, Hoang Muoi Temple is truly an ideal spiritual tourist destination, with beautiful scenery, sacred atmosphere, and warm, hospitable people. This has created a great attraction for tourists from near and far.

Not only Anh Son Pagoda and Hoang Muoi Temple, but many other temples, pagodas, and historical sites in the province also attract many tourists. These include Dai Tue Pagoda (Nam Dan), Co Am Pagoda (Dien Chau), Diec Pagoda, Quang Trung Temple (Vinh City), Corn Temple (Hoang Mai town), Qua Son Temple (Do Luong)... which are frequently visited by large numbers of tourists.

In particular, the Truông Bồn National Historical Site (Đô Lương) is also a popular pilgrimage destination for many tourists in the early days of the year. According to Mr. Phan Trọng Lộc, the director of the site, thousands of visitors come each day to offer incense and pay respects to the heroes and martyrs resting at Truông Bồn, and to pray for a peaceful and happy life.

"Visitors to Truong Bon come from many provinces and cities across the country, of different ages, including many young people and teenagers," said Mr. Phan Trong Loc.

Positive changes

This spring, the weather is beautiful and favorable for visiting and paying respects at historical sites. Most spiritual tourist destinations are crowded and bustling. Compared to previous years, despite the larger number of tourists, the organization of reception and ceremonies remains orderly, ensuring environmental hygiene and a clean and beautiful landscape.

Notably, the Hoang Muoi Temple complex has undergone significant changes. Within the temple grounds, there are no longer stalls selling offerings, votive paper, or services like fortune telling and divination. There is also no longer the crowding and pushing during incense offerings; and outside, the exorbitant prices for car and motorbike parking have been eliminated.

Therefore, Ms. Trinh Thi Hien (a tourist from Thanh Hoa province) shared that she felt truly reassured and satisfied returning to visit Hoang Muoi Temple during the Spring of the Year of the Dragon.

Visiting several temples and pagodas, we observed that the management boards of these historical sites had organized parking areas, provided signage to guide visitors to each service area, and arranged designated areas for burning votive offerings. Simultaneously, they coordinated with local authorities to ensure good security and order, prevent fires and explosions, and intensified public awareness campaigns via loudspeakers to encourage people to maintain cleanliness and tranquility in sacred places.

It is strictly prohibited to exploit freedom of religion for superstitious practices, gambling, or fraud; placing money or incense sticks at the base of trees, and disposing of trash in designated bins and areas are also forbidden.

Another noteworthy point is that in most temples, pagodas, and historical sites, the practice of tourists placing small change on altars, Buddha statues, or tree roots is no longer as widespread as in previous years. Most people are now consciously making donations into the donation boxes, demonstrating civility and respect in these sacred and solemn places.

These are practical actions that contribute to making ritual activities at temples and pagodas truly a spiritual and cultural activity for the Vietnamese people.

Nghe An is a land rich in historical and cultural relics, with hundreds of tangible cultural heritage sites such as communal houses, pagodas, temples, shrines, and scenic spots. Therefore, the province has identified the development of spiritual tourism as a crucial type of tourism that will contribute significantly to making tourism a key economic sector.

To attract tourists to spiritual tourism destinations, the province has recently allocated significant resources and promoted social mobilization to preserve, restore, and effectively promote the cultural and historical values ​​of relics and scenic spots in the area. This has gradually met the needs of worship and spiritual life of local people and tourists from near and far, especially during the Lunar New Year.

“Since the end of December 2023, the Department of Tourism has issued a directive on ensuring security and safety for tourists and maintaining the tourism environment during the Lunar New Year holiday, including at spiritual tourism destinations. The directive requires tourist areas and destinations, including temples and pagodas, to arrange convenient reception areas with a scientific system of signs and directional markers that are appropriate to the landscape and aesthetics. At the same time, it emphasizes promoting the dissemination of information and guidance to tourists on complying with legal regulations in tourism activities and adhering to the code of conduct for civilized tourism.”

____________

MR. NGUYEN MANH CUONG - DIRECTOR OF NGHE AN PROVINCE TOURISM DEPARTMENT