The Huong Pagoda Festival officially opened in Hanoi’s My Ducdistrict on February 5 or the sixth day of the lunar New Year, with theattendance of about 50,000 pilgrims.

Going to Huong Pagodais a spiritual journey into Buddhist Land – where the Goddess ofMercy leads a religious life.
Sightseeing trips to pagodas,temples and caves are the main attractions at the Huong pagodafestival, in addition to ceremonies to ask favours from Lord Buddha.

Built in the late 17th century, Huong Pagoda has a largenumber of pagodas, temples and caverns filled with marvelousstalactites and stalagmites, about 60km from downtown Hanoi.

The Huong Tich cavern has the autograph of Lord Trinh Sam in 1770,describing the cavern as the most beautiful cave in the country.

The organising board estimated that about 180,000 tourists have flocked to Huong Pagoda over the past four days.

Thesame day, at the Soc Son Temple Relic Site in Hanoi ’s Soc Sondistrict, the Giong Festival also took place to commemorate SaintGiong, who legend says turned from a child to a giant overnight to fightagainst invaders in the past.

In Me Linh district ofthe capital city, Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan attended a ceremony tomark the 1,974 anniversary of Trung Sisters’ Uprising and open the TrungSisters’ Temple Festival 2014.-VNA