HÀ NỘI — This year’s renowned Hương Pagoda Festival is focusing on quality in both its organisation and management, aiming to highlight the exceptional value of Hà Nội’s scenic complex, according to the festival’s organising board and local tourism authorities.

Located about 65km from central Hà Nội, Hương Pagoda is one of Việt Nam’s most famous Buddhist complexes. Spanning 4,940 hectares, it is home to 21 pagodas, temples, shrines and caves, all dedicated to Buddha and deities linked to indigenous agricultural beliefs.

Traditionally held from the sixth day of the first lunar month, which originally marked the opening of the forest, through the third lunar month, the festival is one of the country’s largest cultural events, holding significant influence on national culture and religion. The site is also a unique spiritual tourism destination for the capital.

This year, the Hương Pagoda Festival will run until May 11 under the theme "Safety-Friendliness-Quality", reflecting a shift in approach towards more sustainable cultural tourism development.

Trần Đức Hải, Secretary of the Party Committee of Hương Sơn Commune, said the organising board had drawn up a new plan for the 2026 festival, with a focus on modernising its management and ensuring the event is run in a civilised, professional and sustainable manner throughout the year.

The Hương Pagoda Festival will be organised in full compliance with the law, ensuring solemnity, safety and civility, while preserving and promoting the unique cultural, historical and religious values of this nationally significant tourism site. At the same time, the festival is seen as a vital platform to promote Hương Pagoda and Hương Sơn Commune as key cultural and spiritual tourism destinations in the capital, according to local authorities.

“This year marks the start of the 2026-30 management term. Our focus is on leveraging cultural heritage values in tandem with local economic and social development, promoting the cultural industry with cultural tourism as the main focus. We aim to move towards year-round tourism instead of seasonal tourism, and improve service quality to enhance visitors’ experiences,” said Hải.

Moreover, the quality of this year's festival is seen as a key foundation for further asserting the exceptional value of the Hương Sơn scenic site. Plans are in place to submit a proposal to the Government to recognise Hương Pagoda as a National Tourist Site in 2026, and complete the nomination for UNESCO recognition as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage site by 2030, according to the official.

Smart management

A major highlight of this year's festival is the increased use of information technology, digital transformation and artificial intelligence in the management and operation of the event.

This marks a significant shift from traditional management methods to smarter management, with an emphasis on enhancing the visitor experience.

In preparation, local authorities have worked closely with telecommunications companies to strengthen network infrastructure and install AI camera systems at key locations. This will improve monitoring, management, security, safety and transparency.

All administrative, operational and reporting tasks will be managed through an electronic document system, while festival information will be shared across multiple media platforms, including newspapers, radio, television and digital channels.

 

Notably, entrance and boat ticket sales, along with checks, will be synchronised using QR codes, supported by a hotline for receiving feedback from tourists. Data on visitor numbers, organised by time of day, will be collected and analysed to proactively manage traffic flow. Technological solutions will be deployed to ease the load on the management system and enhance the visitor experience, helping to reduce congestion and overcrowding, especially during peak years when the number of visitors can reach 45,000-50,000 per day.

Alongside digital transformation, the management of festival activities remains a top priority, with strict measures in place to ensure security, traffic safety, fire prevention, and rescue operations. Service management, stalls, premises, and environmental sanitation will be closely monitored, with strict penalties for solicitation, price gouging, commercial fraud and encroachment on historical sites.

A key focus in the 2026 plan is the orientation towards year-round tourism development at Hương Pagoda. From May to December, the locality will focus on developing cultural and spiritual tourism products, experiential tourism and ecological tourism, linked to four tour routes to special national historical sites.

Cultural, artistic, and sporting activities will be researched and organised in conjunction with festive events such as Buddha's Birthday and the lotus and water lily blossoms, creating additional attractions and encouraging tourists to return even outside the main festival season. — VNS