A highlight of this year's festival is the grandest-ever procession ritual, featuring 11 palanquin teams from the city and the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Quang Ninh province chapter.

At the opening ceremony of the Yen Tu Spring Festival on February 7.

At the opening ceremony, Chairman of the city People’s Committee Pham Tuan Dat stated that the nomination dossier for the “Yen Tu – Vinh Nghiem – Con Son, Kiep Bac Monument and Landscape Complex, prepared by Quang Ninh, Bac Giang, and Hai Duong provinces, was officially accepted by UNESCO for review on January 26, 2024.

He added that experts from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) who conducted the on-site assessment last year praised the Yen Tu monuments as iconic cultural entities.

He described those as crucial steps towards establishing Yen Tu as a world heritage site, laying stress on the need to preserve the cultural treasures for future generations while leveraging them for sustainable tourism development.

The event featured drum performances and bell-ringing rituals and ceremonies praying for national prosperity.

Both Vietnamese and international visitors shared their impressions on the traditional festival. Do Ha Linh, a Vietnamese student studying in China, attended the festival for the third time, noting each visit helped her gain better insight into the spiritual culture of the complex.

Meanwhile, Christian Veenman, a first-time visitor with a passion for Buddhist culture, expressed amazement at the grandeur and antiquity of the pagoda system.

The annual Yen Tu Spring Festival, opened on the tenth day of the first lunar month, represents a cherished Vietnamese cultural tradition, embodying the principle of remembering one's roots while preserving and sharing the timeless values inherited from previous generations.

Yen Tu Mountain is closely attached with the name of King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong (1258-1308), the third King of the Tran Dynasty, who defeated Mongol invaders twice during his 15-year reign.

The King abdicated when he was 35 and spent the rest of his life on Yen Tu Mountain practicing and popularising Buddhism. He founded the first Vietnamese School of Buddhism called “Thien Tong” or Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen on the 1,068m-high Yen Tu Mountain. The 20,000ha site is considered the capital of Vietnamese Buddhism.

Yen Tu was recognised as a special national relic site in 2013. It is home to dozens of pagodas, hundreds of towers and thousands of ancient relics containing the spiritual values and thoughts of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen sect and the glorious culture of the Dai Viet period.

Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac Heritage Complex: A trans-provincial heritage of global stature

BAC GIANG - After over two years of preparation, on January 30, 2024, the official nomination dossier for the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac Heritage Complex, spanning the three northern provinces of Bac Giang, Quang Ninh, and Hai Duong, was submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. This marks an initial success, with Bac Giang playing a crucial role in preparing the nomination dossier for a trans-provincial heritage of global stature.

French newspaper praises beauty of Yen Tu Mountain

The legends and majestic beauty of the sacred Yen Tu Mountain have been honoured by La Figaro newspaper (France) in an article titled "Voyage au long cours: Yen Tu, l'âme du Vietnam éternel" (Long-distance journey: Yen Tu, the eternal soul of Vietnam), published on May 6.

Tay Yen Tu Spiritual - Ecotourism Complex welcomes approx. 60,000 arrivals

BAC GIANG- Tay Yen Tu Spiritual - Ecotourism Complex in Son Dong district received nearly 60,000 arrivals since it was opened to welcome visitors from the 2nd to 13th day of Lunar January 2024.

Bac Giang is ready to open Tay Yen Tu Spring Festival

BAC GIANG – The People’s Committee in Bac Giang province on February 21 (the 12th day of the first lunar month) will launch the opening ceremony of Tay (West) Yen Tu Spring Festival and the Bac Giang Culture and Tourism Week 2024 at the Tay Yen Tu Spiritual - Ecotourism Complex in Son Dong District. At this time, the preparation work has been basically completed for the festival opening day.

Yen Tu Spring Festival opens in Quang Ninh

The Yen Tu Spring Festival, one of the largest and longest festival in the north, kicks off in Uong Bi city of the northern province of Quang Ninh on February 19, or the 10th day of the first lunar month.

Complex of Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac Monuments and Landscapes

BAC GIANG - The dossier on "Complex of Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac Monuments and Landscapes" in the provinces of Quang Ninh, Bac Giang and Hai Duong was submitted to UNESCO for recognition as a world heritage site. This is a firm condition and basis for preserving and promoting the value of heritage associated with sustainable tourism development of the three provinces.