Hosted by the Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee and the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha - Quang Ninh chapter, the festival is the key event among a series of 64 to stimulate tourism in Quang Ninh in the fourth quarter of 2020, associated with the 762nd anniversary of the birth of King Tran Nhan Tong and the 712th anniversary of his passing.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice Chairwoman of Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thi Hanh emphasised that 2020 is the first year Quang Ninh has hosted the festival, which features 100 activities with 64 tourism stimulating events run by the province until the end of the year.
The festival opening was held on the birthday of Buddhist King Tran Nhan Tong – the founder of the Truc Lam Zen school, and takes place until December 16 with various unique cultural, artistic and spiritual activities, including a memorial ceremony for Buddhist King Tran Nhan Tong, a night flower festival, Buddha worship rituals, the inauguration of the Quynh Lam pagoda and a scientific seminar on Truc Lam Zen.
The inaugural festival is expected to create a premise for future programmes in the coming years, thus turning it into a unique cultural and spiritual tourism product to attract more domestic and international visitors to Yen Tu.
King Tran Nhan Tong is a famous poet, cultural figure and the founder of the Truc Lam Zen – a Zen lineage of Vietnamese Buddhism.
Yen Tu is considered the "land of Buddha" as it has hosted many generations of Buddhist monks and nuns.
The Yen Tu historical relic and landscapes site is one of five special national-level monuments, covering various spiritual relics in Quang Ninh as well as the neighbouring provinces of Bac Giang and Hai Duong.
Following the direction of the Prime Minister, Quang Ninh province is presiding over and coordinating with Hai Duong and Bac Giang to develop their profile and seek UNESCO’s recognition for the Yen Tu complex as a world cultural heritage site.
