Huong Pagoda complex recognized as tourist destination
VGP - Vice Chairman of the Ha Noi People's Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen signed a decision to recognize the Huong Son special relic complex (Huong Pagoda) in My Duc District as a city-level tourist destination.
The Perfume Pagoda (Huong) is a cultural and religious site, with dozens of Buddhist temples, pagodas, hidden among the mountains and forests of Huong Son.
About 60 kilometers southwest of downtown Ha Noi, the Huong Pagoda scenic spot gives visitors the feeling of being lost in a fairyland.
Covering more than 4,900 hectares, the Huong Pagoda complex is a mosaic of pagodas, temples, and caves full of stunning stalactites and stalagmites dedicated to the worship of Buddha and deities associated with indigenous agricultural beliefs.
Built at the end of the 17th century and renovated multiple times, the Huong Son complex has preserved its historical and scenic value, contributing to the distinctive and diverse Buddhist culture in the country.
The Huong Pagoda Festival is traditionally held from the sixth day of the first lunar month through the third lunar month. It is the biggest and longest traditional festival in Ha Noi and in Viet Nam as a whole.
A pilgrimage to the Huong Pagoda complex during the Lunar New Year is a spiritual journey to the land of Buddhism. Visitors tour the pagodas, temples, and caves and take part in ceremonies to seek the blessings of Buddha.
The entrance to the Perfume Pagoda
According to the management board of the Huong Son special relic complex, about one million pilgrims attend the Huong Pagoda Festival annually. Visitors come to worship Buddha and admire the majestic landscape of mountains, caves, and pagodas, where the Bodhisattva's enlightenment is passed down.
Last year, Huong Pagoda welcomed more than one million visitors.
"In the coming period, the Ha Noi Department of Tourism and the My Duc District People's Committee will define tasks to make the complex a high-quality tourist attraction that meets the requirements to be recognized as a national tourist area," the source added.
"By 2030, the Huong Pagoda complex will become a national tourism area, one of the tourism centers of the capital and the whole country, and will apply to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site," according to the Department.
Besides the Huong Son complex, the Ha Noi People's Committee also recognized Hong Van tourist site in the outlying district of Thuong Tin as a city-level tourist destination./.
