Tien Pagoda, situated in the Lao Ngoai hamlet, Phu Nghia commune, Lac Thuy district, annually hosts a traditional festival of the Muong ethnic community. The big event commences on the fourth day of the new lunar year and lasts until the end of the third lunar month.
Tien Pagoda in Phu Nghia commune attracts a large number of visitors for
sightseeing and worship.
The opening ceremony of the Tien Pagoda Festival
serves as a collective celebration for the entire cluster of historical sites
in Phu Nghia. The main event of the festival takes place in the courtyard of
Tien Pagoda, with procession activities starting from four different locations.
The pagoda holds significant historical importance, as it is a place of worship
for the three Gods of Tan Vien Mountain and four Goddesses of the Sea.
The organisation of the festival carries
multiple meanings of expressing gratitude to the deities for their
contributions to the village and the nation, and of seeking blessings for a
prosperous new year with favourable weather and abundant harvests. It provides
an opportunity for the people to express their gratitude and reverence towards
the deities, while satisfying the cultural and spiritual needs of both local
residents and visitors from near and far.
As a native of Lac Thuy, Luong Thi Xuan, now a
resident of Thai Binh ward in Hoa Binh City, goes to the festival every year.
She said it features distinctive ceremonies of solemn rituals, festive
atmosphere, and various traditional Muong folk games such as tug-of-war,
stick-pushing, Con ball throwing, gong art performances, and folk songs.
In recent years, the province and district have
shown keen interest in preserving and promoting the value of the festival.
Since 2005, it has been organised with restored traditional rituals and
procedures. According to the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, the
Tien Pagoda historical site is currently the best-preserved and utilised
location in the province.
Nguyen Van Hai, Chairman of the Lac Thuy
People's Committee said in 2024, the festival will be held on a provincial
scale, including such key activities as an opening ceremony, cultural exchange
programmes, traditional ethnic sports competitions, and a spring fair with
around 20 booths.
In the first 9 months of 2024, Hoa Binh province continues to implement the expanded tourism development cooperation program plan of 8 Northwest provinces with Ho Chi Minh City; deploying digital transformation content in tourism and developing a smart tourism province. Hoa Binh province received about 3.6 million views, an increase of 7.9% over the same period. In which, international visitors are about 380 visitors, domestic visitors are estimated at 3 million 220 visitors.
Spanning thousands of hectares and winding gracefully along mountain slopes, hillsides, and riverbanks, the terraced rice fields of Lac Son District present a stunning and captivating beauty. This region, renowned for its remarkable terraced landscapes, is also the centre of Hoa Binh Culture known for numerous archaeological sites.
The life of Mong people in Hang Kia and Pa Co communes of Mai Chau district has improved much thanks to tourism development.
The man-made Hoa Binh Lake, with a water surface area of approximately 9,000 hectares and a capacity of 9.45 billion cubic meters, stretches over 200 kilometers from Hoa Binh to Son La provinces. With the goal of developing into a national tourism area, the Hoa Binh Lake tourism area is expected to not only become the largest tourism centre in the province but also one of the 12 key tourist destinations in the northern midland and mountainous region of Vietnam.
Da Bia hamlet, now Duc Phong, in Tien Phong commune, Da Bac district, was once almost isolated from the outside as the only way to the hamlet was to get a boat ride across the Hoa Binh reservoir. However, as its tourism potential has been unleashed, the hamlet has established itself as one of the most attractive destinations on the tourism map. It has even received the ASEAN Community-Based Tourism Awards in 2019.
In the first 9 months of 2024, Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province welcomed over 684 thousand visitors to visit and relax. In which, over 516 thousand domestic visitors and more than 168 thousand international visitors. Total revenue from tourism is estimated at over 821 billion VND.
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