Spiritual journeys truly come alive during the festive Tet holiday season.

For many who appreciate spiritual travel, traditional holidays—particularly Tet—are always a special time for pilgrimages. Vietnam, stretching from its northern reaches to its southern tip, offers a wealth of unique attractions in every province and city, captivating both local and international visitors. Spiritual-themed travel packages have become a distinctive segment of the tourism market, consistently drawing a dedicated seasonal following, with interest and visitor numbers peaking especially in the early months of the year.
Spiritual Tourism in Vietnam: A Journey Back to Our Roots and Evolving to Elevate the Customer Experience
Traditional Tet holidays are always a popular time for pilgrimages among many travelers who enjoy spiritual tourism. Stretching from North to South, each province and city boasts its own unique destinations, attracting both domestic and international visitors. Spiritual tours are a distinctive product, consistently drawing a dedicated seasonal clientele, particularly concentrated in the early months of the year.
Diverse Package Services Available Across All Regions
The demand for pilgrimages, visiting pagodas and temples, and sites honoring national heroes and martyrs always exists, driven by the Vietnamese culture of 'drinking water, remembering the source' (gratitude for ancestors) and a benevolent spirit. A representative from Saigontourist Travel Service Company stated that, typically, right after the Lunar New Year, the company's cluster of pilgrimage tours for the early year festival season always garners significant interest from customers. Most spiritual festivals, with their temples, pagodas, and shrines, are concentrated in the North, along with some tours to the Central and Southern regions.
During other seasons, Saigontourist continues to regularly offer combined pilgrimage and sightseeing tours as part of itineraries like the Northern tour clusters visiting famous landmarks such as Yen Tu Pagoda, Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong), Bai Dinh Pagoda, Trang An... These tours often include beach resorts and visits to ancient craft villages, typically lasting 4-6 days with costs starting from 7 million VND, or other destinations like Ha Long and Ninh Binh. The Central tour clusters also feature many destinations such as Thien Mu Pagoda, Truc Lam Bach Ma Zen Monastery, and the Marble Mountains (Ngu Hanh Son) scenic area. The Mekong Delta (Mien Tay) offers several well-known spiritual tourism destinations like Sa Dec – Ba Chua Xu Temple (Chau Doc) – Sam Mountain (Nui Cam); Can Tho – Truc Lam Phuong Nam Zen Monastery – Ba Chua Xu Temple (Chau Doc) – Ha Tien...

An aerial view of the Yen Tu destination.
It is known that, to date, Saigontourist has seen a slight increase in the number of customers interested in spiritual tourism, maintaining stability over the years and accounting for 10% of the travel company's regular tours. Popular tours include those to the Mekong Delta, offering convenient road itineraries combined with multiple attractions, as well as Central Vietnam destinations like Hue, Da Nang, Quang Binh, and Northern destinations like Ninh Binh and Trang An.
A representative from Lam Dong Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism reported this year that out of a total of over 6.5 million tourist arrivals for sightseeing and relaxation, approximately 50% of tourists visited and experienced adventure sports tourism and cultural-spiritual tourism activities at various tourist areas and attractions, contributing to the growth of these tourism types compared to previous years. Currently, the tourism sector contributes 8-9% of Lam Dong province's total GRDP.
“With a long history and unique architecture, cultural and spiritual tourist attractions in Lam Dong always hold a special appeal for both domestic and international visitors who come to explore, such as Truc Lam Zen Monastery, Linh Phuoc Pagoda (the 'broken glass pagoda'), and Samten Hill Da Lat,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, Deputy Director of Lam Dong Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Developing Tourism Hand-in-Hand with Cultural Preservation
Sharing with KTSG Online, Resolution 18-NQ/TU, issued on July 25, 2022, by the Lam Dong Provincial Party Committee, outlines the high-quality tourism development plan for Lam Dong province until 2025, with a vision to 2030, and has identified four key product groups for priority development by 2025. Specifically, these include eco-tourism models combined with sightseeing and culture (including indigenous culture, unique architecture, spiritual tourism; street culture and performing arts, etc.); resort and entertainment tourism; adventure sports tourism; and agri-tourism linked to promoting and consuming local agricultural products and OCOP products, aiming to create distinctive tourism products for the province.

A destination combining elements of faith, culture, and natural beauty, popular with tourists in the early part of the year.
“From there, we will support the research and production of handicraft products for tourism, along with local specialty products. To achieve the targets set forth in Resolution 18-NQTU, the functional departments will continue to advise the Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee on attracting investment and developing the aforementioned tourism products,” Ms. Bich Ngoc added.
For Southern travel businesses, Saigontourist believes that the development of spiritual tourism products not only brings economic benefits but also encourages the growth and preservation of the nation's beautiful culture. In reality, spiritual tours and combined spiritual-cultural tourism in Vietnam have great and stable potential. Saigontourist aims to develop spiritual tours that promote 'a good life and beautiful faith,' linked to the nation's traditions and culture, and encouraging cultural festivals that align with fine customs and traditions. The development of pilgrimage tour products will be coupled with exploring new local destinations, enhancing service quality, and preserving existing relics.

Dong Pagoda in Yen Tu.
However, spiritual tourism products require tour guides to possess in-depth knowledge of history and culture, especially regarding religion and related customs. The duration of visits to these destinations also needs to be extended to allow visitors to reflect and experience fully.
Yen Tu (Quang Ninh) is a destination of profound significance for Vietnamese Buddhism, being the place where King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong once practiced asceticism. Its cultural and tourism space offers a variety of products, from sightseeing tours, mountain climbing tours, and spiritual tours, along with many other activities. This diversity attracts various types of tourists. For families and couples, there are offerings such as the Lang Nuong resort and the Legacy Mgallery Yentu complex. For visitors who enjoy mountain climbing and exploration, Yen Tu provides nature experience packages that include cable car rides up the mountain. Younger visitors can also try horseback riding, archery, making 'to he' (traditional toy figurines), and crafting conical hats...
Mr. Bui Minh Duc, current Communications Manager for Tung Lam Group, a Vietnamese cultural heritage development and preservation enterprise, stated that Tung Lam is the entity authorized by the government to develop services and culture at Yen Tu. He pointed out that before the Covid-19 pandemic, Yen Tu welcomed about 1 million visitors per year, and by 2022, the number of tourists had recovered to about 60-70% of pre-pandemic levels.
At Tung Lam Yen Tu, visitors can enjoy a diverse range of activities, from pilgrimage journeys up Yen Tu Mountain to two distinct resort segments—rustic or high-end—catering to various customer preferences.
“Uong Bi City and Yen Tu Mountain are prominent destinations that attract tourists, especially those interested in spiritual tourism and religious culture. Given the inherent natural beauty and spiritual value, we are confident that Yen Tu will continue to maintain its appeal and preserve the Vietnamese soul here,” Mr. Minh Duc stated.
Quang Ninh 3943 view
Update day : 22/10/2023
Source : thesaigontimes.vn Affiliate links
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