VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will strive to ensure a healthy Tet holiday this year, focusing on improving the management of spring festivities.

 

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Festival goers take part in a game at Keo Pagoda in the northern province of Thai Binh's Vu Thu District. The management of spring festivities will be strengthened this year.

Gambling and proliferation of superstitious activities will be prevented besides cheating vendors, traffic congestion, and beggars, said Minister Hoang Tuan Anh.

Participating in the "People ask – Minister Answers" programme aired on Viet Nam Television on Sunday, he said deputy ministers have led seven inspection teams to check preparations of spring festivities at localities.

He said typical negative phenomena have to be particularly monitored during festival time included weak environmental hygiene and chaos created by vendors around areas that are popularly visited during festivals like pagodas.

The ministry has worked with local authorities, guiding them in arranging specific areas for the vendors to present their wares at sites popular during Tet, ensuring order and meeting tourists' needs, Tuan said.

The ministry would propose to the Government the fines of up to VND3 million (US$144) are levied on those burning large volumes of votive paper, the minister said.

He agreed with the opinion expressed by a member of the audience that sellers and producers of votive paper should also be fined.

Tuan Anh admitted that many festivals have become monotonous for festival goers.

He said the ministry has proposed to the Government that it issues regulations on festival management that would enable the mobilisation of financial support from diverse sources instead of relying on the State budget to carry out festival activities.

The ministry would also ask the Government to reduce the number of anniversaries and the scale of celebrations, he said.

The ministry estimates that over 8,000 festivals are held annually in Viet Nam most of which are traditional celebrations.

Source: VNS