Bac Giang opens Tay Yen Tu Spring Festival, Culture - Tourism Week
The Tay Yen Tu (West Yen Tu) Spring Festival and the Culture - Tourism Week 2023 of northern Bac Giang province opened with a ceremony held at the Tay Yen Tu spiritual and ecological tourism complex on February 2.
The opening ceremony of the Tay Yen Tu Spring Festival and the Culture - Tourism Week 2023 of Bac Giang province on February 2. (Photo: VNA)
Bac Giang (VNA) – The Tay Yen Tu (West Yen Tu)Spring Festival and the Culture - Tourism Week 2023 of northern Bac Giangprovince opened with a ceremony held at the Tay Yen Tu spiritual and ecologicaltourism complex on February 2.
Addressing the event, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’sCommittee Mai Son said the Tay Yen Tu tourism complex, located on the path ofpropagating the Dharma of the founders of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Buddhist sect,holds a special position for developing cultural, spiritual, ecological, andrelaxation tourism.
Given this, Bac Giang is developing a tourism space here andworking with nearby Quang Ninh and Hai Duong provinces to compile a dossierseeking UNESCO recognition of the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Baclandscape complex as world heritage.
The recognition will help promote tourism as well aseconomic, cultural, and social development in the region, the official noted.
The Tay Yen Tu Spring Festival and the Bac Giang Culture -Tourism Week feature 15 main activities and a wide range of cultural, sport,and tourism events, which will be held in Son Dong, Yen Dung, Luc Nam, and LucNgan districts from now to February 6.
The woodblocks on the poem“Cu tran lac dao phu” are handed over for the procession from Vinh Nghiem Pagoda to the Tay Yen Tu complex. (Photo: VNA)
Notably, a procession of the set of woodblocks carved with thepoem “Cu tran lac dao phu” took place on February 2, bringing the set from VinhNghiem Pagoda in Yen Dung district to Thuong Pagoda in the Tay Yen Tu complex.
The woodblocks on “Cu tran lac dao phu”, written in the Nom and Han (Chinese) scripts, are among the Buddhistwoodblocks kept at the Vinh Nghiem Pagoda that were listed as documentary heritagein the Memory of the World Programme for the Asia-Pacific region.
The 70km-long procession aimed to honour the ideologicalvalues of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Buddhist sect and re-enact the sect founders’ pathof propagating the Dharma. It was recognised by the Vietnam RecordsOrganisation (VietKings) as the biggest of its kind held in Buddhist rituals inVietnam./.
The northern province of Bac Giang has planned numerous cultural tourism activities to boost its tourism, targeting to attract about 2 million visitors this year.
The beauty of Yen Tu is the grandeur and tranquility of the mountains and forests mingled with the serenity and ancientness of the system of pagodas, towers and Zen realms.
The 2023 Khai ha (going down to the field) festival, the biggest traditional folk event of the Muong ethnic group in the northwestern province of Hoa Binh, took place at the provincial level for the first time from January 27 – 29 (the sixth to eighth day of the lunar new year).
Thai ethnic people in Than Uyen district, the northern province of Lai Chau, held their traditional new year festival of Lung Tung (Going to the field) on January 29, drawing crowds of local residents and visitors.
A thematic exhibition on "The sacred Buddhist land of Tay Yen Tu - A thousand-year-old relic from the ground" was opened on February 1 in the northern province of Bac Giang with nearly 500 Buddhist artifacts and images being displayed.
Quang Duc pottery is known for its wide range of forms, including wine bottles, jars, lime pots, vases, plant pots, incense burners and candle stands. Decorative motifs are equally rich, featuring mythical creatures, pastoral scenes, floral patterns, deer, peacocks, bats and more.
Vietnam’s cinematic appeal lies in its diverse settings, from terraced mountains and limestone karsts to bustling markets and ancient towns. Its mix of ethnic vibes, buzzing street life, and old traditions gives directors a goldmine for storytelling.
The Vietnamese team will gather on June 26 in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, where they will train until July 14 before departing for Indonesia for the ASEAN U23 Championship 2025, which runs from July 15 to 29. Vietnam will face Laos on July 19 and Cambodia on July 22 in the group stage.
The exhibition showcases more than 100 valuable documents and artifacts, divided into two main parts: “Journalist Nguyen Ai Quoc – Ho Chi Minh” and “President Ho Chi Minh – Founder and Mentor of Vietnamese Revolutionary Press.” This is an opportunity to recall the late leader’s journalism journey and affirm his exceptional role in founding and guiding the revolutionary press in Vietnam.
For the first time, the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) has granted Vietnam hosting rights for the two championships, including the Asian women’s solo category, which debuts this year as an officially recognised event.
Eight teams will join the tournament, divided into two groups. Group A features Vietnam, the Philippines, Sichuan Club (China), and Australia, while Group B consists of Vietnam U21, Korabelka Club (Russia), Taiwan (China), and U21 Thailand.
Despite strong home support and high expectations, Vietnam were unable to overcome the defending champions, who secured their third consecutive win over Vietnam in a regional final, following previous victories in 2014 and 2023.
The event, part of Vietnam’s cultural diplomacy strategy through 2030, was jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela and USM’s Faculty of International Relations. It attracted thousands of students from universities across Venezuela.
For the first time, Vietnamese audiences will have the opportunity to experience the ballet masterpiece "Don Quixote" in its original version by renowned choreographer Marius Petipa.
The contest carried deep meaning as it was the first time the life of Vietnamese women abroad had been highlighted as the central theme, said poet and writer Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association.
The event formed part of Vietnam’s ongoing campaign to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for the complex at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, scheduled to take place in Paris in July.
Creative cultural festivals are fast emerging as a new catalyst for tourism development in Vietnam, as localities increasingly invest in these vibrant events on a more systematic and larger scale.
This marks the first time Vietnam has hosted a continental-level Muay event which will feature competitions across 28 weight categories in combat and eight performance categories.
Coming to the Vietnamese booth, visitors had the chance to take part in a bamboo dance, a workshop on painting woven bamboo or rattan, or quizzes about Vietnam.
These are impressive achievements, not only showing the efforts and prowess of Vietnamese paddlers but also serving as proof of the sports sector’s strategic and systematic investment.
The cultural event in Canberra not only fostered cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Australia but also contributed to promoting Vietnam’s image internationally
The opening ceremony of the Tay Yen Tu Spring Festival and the Culture - Tourism Week 2023 of Bac Giang province on February 2. (Photo: VNA) 
The woodblocks on the poem“Cu tran lac dao phu” are handed over for the procession from Vinh Nghiem Pagoda to the Tay Yen Tu complex. (Photo: VNA) 
