According to Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hai Phong, Tran Thi Hoang Mai, after the Con Son-Kiep Bac and Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem sites were recognized by UNESCO as World Cultural Heritage sites (July 2025), the number of visitors to visit and worship these sites has increased dramatically, especially during the days of the Con Son-Kiep Bac Autumn Festival in 2025.
From September 22 to October 13, Con Son-Kiep Bac relic site welcomed about 325,000 visitors, an increase of 214% over the same period in 2024; since the beginning of the year, the relic site has welcomed nearly 990,000 visitors.
The Con Son Kiep Bac Autumn Festival is the first festival held after the Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son-Kiep Bac Monuments and Landscape Complex was recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage, taking place from October 1 to October 12, with the largest scale ever, the festival space is expanded.
The ceremonies organized by Hai Phong were solemn and followed traditional rituals, recreating the unique historical and cultural values of the heritage site such as: Incense offering ceremony and Cao Nieu ceremony; commemorating the 725th death anniversary of National Hero Tran Hung Dao, the 583rd death anniversary of National Hero, World Cultural Celebrity Nguyen Trai; Kiep Bac Temple Seal Opening Ceremony; Peace Prayer Ceremony and Lantern Festival; Procession Ceremony, Sacrificial Ceremony; Death Anniversary of Saint Tran.
The festival is also richly organized with many activities associated with cultural-tourism-cuisine-craft village experiences that attract many domestic and foreign tourists to enthusiastically participate such as: Hoi Quan performance on Luc Dau river; Hau Thanh performance festival; water puppetry performance; Thematic exhibition "Con Son, Kiep Bac, Thanh Mai, Kinh Chu, Nham Duong - world cultural heritage journey"...
In particular, Hai Phong city leaders decided not to use fireworks from socialized funding sources, using the entire amount of more than 1 billion VND from this source to support people affected by storms and floods.
The highlight of this year's festival is that Hai Phong city organized the Culture-Tourism and Trade Promotion Week to introduce OCOP products, typical craft villages, along with unique culinary spaces and launched 3 new tours including: Tour "One journey - 5 world heritage destinations" connecting Con Son Pagoda - Thanh Mai Pagoda - Kiep Bac Temple - Nham Duong Pagoda - Kinh Chu Cave so that visitors can learn about the story of the formation, development and integration of Truc Lam Zen sect and the worship of Saint Tran of the Vietnamese people.
The tour "Following the footsteps of the Three Patriarchs of Truc Lam" explores the depth of "cultivation-study-practice" in Con Son, Thanh Mai, bringing visitors closer to the pure Vietnamese spirit of Truc Lam Buddhism through architecture, landscape, books and rituals.
The tour "Discovering Con Son and Kiep Bac Heritage" takes visitors through a series of experiences rich in heritage values, enjoying selected culinary and craft village products and folk art spaces.
The Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son and Kiep Bac relic and scenic complex includes 12 typical relic sites spread across 3 provinces and cities: Quang Ninh, Bac Ninh and Hai Phong.
Accordingly, Quang Ninh has 5 locations: Thai Mieu, Lan Pagoda, Hoa Yen Pagoda, Ngoa Van Pagoda, Yen Giang stake field. Bac Ninh has 2 locations: Vinh Nghiem Pagoda and Bo Da Pagoda.
Hai Phong city has 5 locations: Con Son pagoda, Kiep Bac temple, Thanh Mai pagoda, Kinh Chu cave and Nham Duong pagoda with a core area of 525.75 hectares and a buffer zone of 4,380.19 hectares, of which Con Son pagoda is the center of Truc Lam practice, bearing the vestiges of Patriarch Phap Loa and Huyen Quang; Thanh Mai pagoda was built during the Tran dynasty on Phat Tich mountain, associated with the career of two Truc Lam ancestors; Kiep Bac temple is a space to worship Saint Tran, symbolizing wisdom and courage and the way to govern the country; Nham Duong pagoda (Cao Dong ancestral temple) is a place to preserve evidence of continuous residence of ancient Vietnamese people; Kinh Chu cave, known as "Nam Thien De Luc Dong" with 47 stele stelae, is a place to preserve the writings of many famous people reflecting the history, culture and beliefs of the nation over nearly 7 centuries, from the Tran dynasty to the Nguyen dynasty.
According to Chairman of Hai Phong City People's Committee Le Ngoc Chau, the city is known as a land of talented people, a place where the cultural quintessence of the nation is condensed.
Over thousands of years of building and defending the country, Hai Phong has preserved a priceless heritage treasure with 3,981 historical and cultural relics; including 2 world heritages (Cat Ba archipelago was recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage in September 2023 and the Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son, Kiep Bac relic and landscape complex was recognized by UNESCO in July 2025); 9 special national relics and relic clusters; 257 national relics; 722 city-level relics; 33 national treasures along with 24 national intangible cultural heritages and 1,289 traditional festivals.
In the coming time, the head of the Hai Phong City People's Committee hopes that each investor interested in Hai Phong will become a "talented architect", bringing their passion and creativity to embellish and increase the value of the heritage area; each Tourism Association, each travel, transportation and service enterprise will be the "designer" of new and unique tours and routes, connecting historical sites, craft villages, culinary products, and typical OCOP products of Hai Phong.
Each resident of the heritage area will be a “media ambassador,” spreading meaningful messages about standardizing service quality, promoting digital transformation, developing unique products and regional linkages, practicing green tourism, and building Hai Phong into a “must-see” destination in every tourist’s journey./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/hon-325-van-luot-khach-tham-quan-chiem-bai-trong-dip-le-hoi-con-son-kiep-bac-post1070168.vnp
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