It has become a tradition for Le Thi Trang’s family in Hanoi to visit pagodas after Tet (Lunar New Year festival). This year, they joined a pilgrim tour exploring the west of Yen Tu Historical Relics and Landscape Complex in the northern province of Bac Giang.

“We visit pagodas or temples in the early days of the new year not only to pray for blessings for the rest of the year but also to enjoy the spring scenery and contemplate the beautiful landscape,” she said.

“In this spring tour, we stopped at Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, home to over 3,000 printing woodblocks enlisted by UNESCO as World Documentary Heritage in the Memory of the World Programme in 2012. It also enabled us to understand more about Truc Lam Zen Buddhism, which originated in the pagoda.”

According to Venerable Thich Thanh Vinh, deputy abbot of Vinh Nghiem, the pagoda has become more widely known in the past 10 years since UNESCO’s recognition.

A project renovating the pagoda, which has been recognised as a special national relic site, has been approved by Bac Giang provincial authority. From 2023-2025, the project is expected to specify all historical, architectural and artistic values of the pagoda while connecting it with other historical and cultural relic sites and scenic landscapes in the province, such as the Yen Tu relic complex, to create diverse cultural tourism.

Visitors to Bac Giang this spring could also participate in a wide range of cultural, sport, and tourism events, held within the Tay Yen Tu Spring Festival and Bac Giang Culture and Tourism Week.

The highlight of the festival was a Buddhist Music Night with the theme Vĩnh Nghiêm: Hào Quang Trí Huệ (Vinh Nghiem: Aura of Wisdom) and the procession of the set of woodblocks to print the dissertation in rhythmic prose entitled Cư Trần Lạc Đạo Phú (Living in the World, Joyful in the Way), one of the famous works by Buddhist Monk-King Tran Nhan Tong (1258-1308).

According to local authorities, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda has been visited by over 110,000 pilgrims in the first 10 days of this Lunar New Year.

Another popular religious destination is Phu Tho Province, a sacred place to Vietnamese people as the birthplace of the nation's founding fathers.

The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Phu Tho has focused on improving the quality of tourism products that uphold the values of local cultural heritage.

By now, a number of tourist routes have been launched in the locality attracting many tourists like Lac Long Quan Temple - Hung Temple Historic Site - Lai Len Temple - Hung Lo Ancient Village, or Hung King Temple Historic Site.

Nguyen Duc Hoa, director of the local tourism promotion centre, said: "The centre has proactively connected routes and heritage sites in the province. We will soon introduce a spiritual culture tour associated with the sacred water procession rituals of Tam Giang Temple in Viet Tri City."

“Spiritual tourism products are preserving traditional culture, creating unique and attractive experience for tourists to explore in Phu Tho.”

According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, after Tet, localities nationwide are exploiting their advantages in cultural and spiritual tourism, notably the Huong Pagoda Festival in Hanoi, the Yen Tu Festival in Quang Ninh, and the Ba Den Mountain Spring Festival in the southern province of Tay Ninh.

New tourism products

Vietnam now has nearly 9,000 festivals. Many of them have been recognised as world and national intangible cultural heritages. For example, the Giong Festival of Phu Dong and Soc temples on the outskirts of Hanoi was included in 2010 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and the annual Nguyen Tieu festival on the 15th of the first lunar month in Hoi An, Quang Nam Province, has been recognised as a National Intangible Heritage.

Such festivals, which are mostly celebrated during and after the Tet holiday, have become advantages for attracting more tourists.

According to the Institute for Tourism Development Research, under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, spiritual tourism centralises cultural and spiritual elements, fulfilling tourists’ spiritual needs. Such type of tourism helps give spiritual experience and improves people's wellbeing in terms of body, mind and spirit.

“Culture and tourism have a close relationship, supporting and complementing each other in the development process. Culture is the foundation for tourism, while tourism development will contribute to generating revenue for conservation and promotion of cultural values,” said Nguyen Anh Tuan, director of the institute.

Phung Quang Thang, chairman of the Vietnam Green Tourism Association, emphasised the importance of offering tourists new experience during visiting religious sites and festivals.

“One successful example is the pilgrimage tour to the west of the Yen Tu Historical Relics and Landscape Complex in Bac Giang, which takes tourists to Vinh Nghiem Pagoda where the Buddhist Sutra printing woodblocks, a 'world documentary heritage', are preserved. During the tours, visitors can try woodblock printing and trekking nearby Dong Pagoda,” he said.

This spring, many travel agents launched attractive spiritual tours to meet high demand after three years of hiatus due to the COVID pandemic.

For example, Vietnam Travel and Marketing Transports (Vietravel) has introduced a series of tours to the religious sites integrated with activities such as visiting various pagodas and other spiritual sites and mountainous natural landscapes.

A representative of Vietravel revealed that outbound tours to Buddhist countries including Thailand, Myanmar or India have been booked by many travellers looking for a spiritual experience.

Another kind of tour - spiritual tourism combined with healthcare - has been launched by Sunvina Travel and Wondertour this Lunar New Year,

These are new tourism products focusing on green and sustainable tourism - a trend many travel agencies expect will bring more attractive experiences to tourists after the pandemic lockdowns.

Visitors will be able to participate in religious folk activities in Soc Temple Relic Complex in Hanoi’s Soc Son District, where Phu Dong Thien Vuong, one of the four immortals of the nation is worshipped. There they will listen to explanations about the history of Soc Temple, the legend about Saint Giong fighting off invaders and learn about from the Vietnam Buddhist Academy.

After the tour, visitors will experience healthcare services conducted by local healthcare units such as acupressure massage, relaxing hair washing, or medicinal bathing that aims to bring physical balance after tiring activities during the day.

According to Le Cong Nang, general director of Wondertour, Soc Son was chosen as the locality to launch the new tourism product due to its favourable location.

“It is located on the route to Noi Bai international airport. It is ideal for tourists flying overnight from abroad to Vietnam or those from outside the district catching international flights,” he said.

After Soc Son, the two travel agencies plan to extend the tours to other localities such as Tam Dao in Vinh Phuc, Sa Pa in Lao Cai, and Pu Luong in Thanh Hoa.

The criteria for the destinations of spiritual and wellness tours are famous tourist attractions with potential for relaxation, alongside space to organise healthcare activities and set up facilities. 

Source: Vietnam News