It was the first day of ticket sales for the 2024 Huong Pagoda Festival which opens on the sixth day of the first lunar month (February 15) in My Duc District in Hanoi, according to the Management Board of Huong Son Cultural and Historical Site.
Head of the Management Board of Huong Son Cultural and Historical Site Nguyen Ba Hien said that over 40,000 pilgrims visited Huong Pagoda from February 9 (on the 30th day of the last month of the lunar calendar) to February 12 (on the third day of the first month of the lunar calendar).
Free entrance tickets to visit the relic site were offered to tourists on 3 days of the Tet Holiday from February 9 (on the 30th day of the last month of the lunar calendar) to February 11 (on the second day of the first month of the lunar calendar).
The 2024 Huong Pagoda Festival themed “Safe - Civilized - Friendly” will take place from February 11 to May 11 (on the second day of the first month to the fourth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar).
The opening ceremony of the festival will be officially held on February 15 (on the sixth day of the first month of the lunar calendar).
As of now, activities at Huong Pagoda have been implemented safely and orderly. Information and instructions for bus and sailing schedules are provided to visitors. The electric shuttle service bringing tourists from bus stations to docks operates continuously. The price for services at the festival is publicly listed. The local authorities have also asked businesses to pledge not to overcharge tourists.
The price of a return boat ticket is VND85,000 (US$3.5) on the Huong Tich route and VND65,000 (US$2.7) on the Long Van and Tuyet Son routes.
A round-trip cable car ticket price is VND220,000 (US$9) per person and VND150,000 (US$6.2) per child. A one-way ticket is VND150,000 per person and VND100,000 (US$4.1) per child.
The fare for transporting passengers by electric car is VND20,000 (US$0.8) per person per trip.
The Management Board of Huong Son Cultural and Historical Site has replaced paper tickets with electronic tickets, improved the management quality of boats, and organized food stalls and traffic flow to avoid congestion and overload during the early days of the festival.
The festival is the biggest and longest annual festival in Vietnam and lasts for three full months during spring. The event attracts more than 1 million pilgrims and tourists every year.
The Huong Pagoda in My Duc district of Hanoi is traditionally a place where pilgrims go to welcome the Tet Lunar New Year every year.
