Dong pagoda located on the peak of Yen Tu mountains (Source: VNA) Quang Ninh (VNA) – The Yen Tu Spring Festival will open on February25 (the 10th day of the Lunar New Year), in Uong Bi city, the northernprovince of Quang Ninh, kicking off the National Tourism Year hosted by thelocality.
Key events held within the festival include the opening ceremony, CherryBlossom and Yen Tu yellow apricot blossom festival and Hang Son PagodaFestival.
This year, Uong Bi city will work to ensure social order and traffic safety andprevent fire and explosion. Kiosks will be arranged to introduce tourismproducts and services to visitors.
In preparation for the festival, investments have been made in infrastructurein the Yen Tu spiritual tourism site, including the upgrade of the road to YenTu relic site and the construction of a new cable car system to prevent trafficcongestion.
The province is also working to complete the first phase of the Yen Tu festivaltourism services centre, which features Truc Lam palace, a Zen village, apilgrimage village and the King monk Tran Nhan Tong museum.
Last year, Yen Tu relic site attracted more than 2 million visitors, including250,000 foreigners, up 200 percent against 2016’s figure.
Yen Tu Mountain is located about 50 kilometres from Ha Long City. The area hasawe-inspiring scenery, surrounded by ancient pagodas and hermitages.
Tran Nhan Tong (1258-1308), the third King of the Tran dynasty, ascended to thethrone when he was just 21. He is famed for defeating Mongol invaders twiceduring his 15-year reign.
TheKing abdicated when he was 35 and spent the rest of his life on Yen Tu Mountainpracticing and propagating Buddhism. He founded the first Vietnamese School ofBuddhism called “Thien Tong” or Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen on the 1,068m-high Yen TuMountain. The 20,000ha site is considered the capital of Vietnamese Buddhism.
Yen Tu became a major Buddhist Centre and King Tran Nhan Tong became its firstleader under the religious name Dieu Ngu Giac Hoang Tran Nhan Tong. He orderedthe construction of hundreds of religious buildings on Yen Tu Mountains forteaching and following a religious life.
Besidesnumerous temples, it also preserves many old religious and cultural documentssuch as precious prayer-books and monks’ writings.
Yen Tu was officially listed as a special national relic site in September 2012.-VNA
VNA
