Tay Thien festival, one of the major northern spiritual events, began on April 3, drawing a wave of people making pilgrimages to pray for a new year of good health, happiness, and prosperity.

The festival is taking place at Tay Thien Site, spanning over 100 hectares within Tam Dao national park, which is dotted with beautiful forests, streams, waterfalls, grottoes and dozens of religious buildings, in Tam Dao district, Vinh Phuc province.

It is held annually on the fifteenth day of the second lunar month to commemorate Mother Lang Thi Tieu, who made great contributions to national defence, peace and agricultural development during the era of Hung Kings.

She is worshipped in Tay Thien Monastery and at 71 other temples and pagodas in the local area.

According to Pham Quang Nguyen, Chairman of Tam Dao’s People’s Committee, ensuring security and protecting the environment are priorities of the organisers of this year’s festival.

Price overcharge and begging are banned, he said.

Vinh Phuc is home to several popular tourist destinations, including the Tay Thien Site, Tam Dao Resort, Tam Dao National Park and Dai Lai Lake. It also owns bountiful tangible and intangible cultural values through 1,000 relics.-VNA