Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan attended the ceremony. Yen Tu, recognised as the country’s leading centre of Buddhism, is located 50km from Ha Long City.
The route of the pilgrimage, which winds from the foot of Yen Tu Mountain to its highest peak, is almost 30km. Dong Pagoda, which sits atop the peak, is more than a kilometer above sea level. The area’s beautiful landscape and awe-inspiring scenery, along with surrounding ancient pagodas and hermitages, are said to be why King Tran Nhan Tong, the third king of the Tran dynasty and founder of Truc Lam Zen Monastery, passed the throne to his son in order to become a monk at Yen Tu Mountain.
Local authorities are wrapping up an application to UNESCO for Truc Lam – Yen Tu to be recognized as a world cultural heritage.
