Bai Dinh festival officially kicks off

Delegates, Buddhist dignitaries and followers, and visitors offered incense and prayed for a peaceful new year. The original 1,000 year-old Bai Dinh Pagoda (Bai Dinh Co Tu) is part of the Trang An Landscape Complex which was recognised as a world Cultural and Natural Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The pagoda is composed of temples worshipping Buddha, the Mountain God, and the Mother Goddess of the Forest. It lies about 800 metres from the Tam The Temple of the new Bai Dinh Pagoda area.

Visitors attend Bai Dinh festivals.

The recent additions are considered the largest Buddhist temple complex in Vietnam and currently hold several national record-setting relics, including the largest bronze Buddha statue (150 tonnes), the largest bronze bell (30 tonnes), and the largest number of Arhat statues (500). The pagoda festival will last until the end of March.

Translated by Nguyen Thuy