on the third day of the lunar new year, 19/2, Hai Thu, 28, and her four friends traveled from Hai Phong to Quang Ninh to visit Yen Tu Pagoda. normally, her group would go after the full moon of the first lunar month, but this year they went early to take advantage of a free admission policy.

from the foot of the mountain, Thu witnessed tens of thousands of people pouring in. the steep path to the cable car station was packed. the air felt thick with crowds. after leaving the cable car, the route to dong pagoda became even narrower, precarious between two ravines.

the flow of people became congested. those at the top were rooted to the spot, while those below continuously pushed forward, creating a chaotic scene. strong winds and drizzle made the path slippery, hindering the pilgrims' steps.

dong pagoda, yen tu, quang ninh, was crowded with pilgrims on 19/2 (the third day of tet). *photo: yen tu pagoda*

Thu's group took almost two hours to inch their way from the cable car station to the base of dong pagoda, instead of the usual 30 minutes. the mountain peak was dense with people, surrounded with no escape, as people behind bowed to those in front. feeling helpless, the group decided to bow from afar and return immediately. despite this, the total journey still lasted 18 hours, six hours longer than usual.

after two days bedridden recovering, on the sixth day of the lunar new year, 22/2, Thu accompanied her parents to dia tang phi lai pagoda in Ninh Binh. however, the tranquil atmosphere of the temple grounds once again gave way to chaos. the main hall was crammed, with people constantly cutting in and breaking lines.

"i didn't even get to complete one full bow at the pagoda; i was just rooted to the spot, guarding my bag against theft," Thu lamented.

the overwhelming feeling peaked on the seventh day of the lunar new year, 23/2, when her company organized a trip to tay ho temple in Ha Noi. carrying offerings on her head, Thu nearly fell amidst the crowds surrounding her from all sides. unable to bear it any longer, she excused herself with family commitments and declined the trip to huong pagoda on the tenth day, 26/2. "i intended to seek peace, but ended up with only frustration and exhaustion," the office worker said.

the scene of "suffocating pilgrimages" occurred at many spiritual tourism sites from north to south during the tet binh ngo holiday. in An Giang, Ngoc Thuong, 30, residing in Ho Chi Minh City, experienced complete exhaustion during her visit to ba chua xu temple on sam mountain on the fourth day of the lunar new year, 20/2, in scorching, sweltering weather. tan lo kieu luong road leading to the temple was packed with vehicles.

the 500-meter stretch that normally takes only a few minutes now took over one hour, stuck in traffic. roaring engines, thick dust, and crying children choked the air. dizzy from the heat, many members of Thuong's group decided to bow from the courtyard and turn back, giving up.

crowds jostle to attend the ceremony at ba chua xu temple on sam mountain, an giang, on 20/2 (the fourth day of tet). *photo: buoc chan mien tay*

images of jostling crowds at pilgrimage sites flooded social media. the surge in spring travel pushed tourism infrastructure beyond its capacity.

data from local authorities confirms this intensity. during the eight-day tet holiday, Quang Ninh welcomed 1.1 million visitors, with the Yen Tu complex alone recording over 170,000 people—2.2 times higher than tet 2025 and a record high.

in Ha Noi, huong pagoda received 136,000 visitors in just the first five days of the year, with the thien tru area completely gridlocked at several points. in the north central region, the Trang An complex management board in Ninh Binh repeatedly issued notices to stop receiving visitors, advising people to shift their visit times to the afternoon. on the fourth day of the lunar new year, the Trang An boat station was paralyzed, and the online ticketing system crashed. tourists waited in line for nearly one hour before it was their turn to board a boat.

in the southern region, the An Giang department of tourism reported over one million visitors (an increase of 63%), while Tay Ninh saw a three-kilometer line of vehicles at the foot of ba den mountain.

at the foot of ba den mountain, a sea of people set up tents and camped, preparing for the year's largest pilgrimage season, on 20/2. *photo: truong anh tuan*

according to cultural researcher Pham Dinh Hai, early spring pilgrimages are a beautiful traditional belief of the Vietnamese people. in the past, our ancestors enjoyed spring with joyful spirits, observing the blossoming of nature. this was a time for people to seek spiritual solace and deepen their understanding of national culture.

however, this beautiful tradition shows signs of distortion. "currently, few people enjoy the scenery; many come to pray for fame and money. the trend of pilgrimages driven by fads and blind imitation is causing the original essence of visiting pagodas to be misunderstood," Hai noted.

the expert emphasized that mindset determines destiny. a pilgrimage is truly meaningful only when one maintains a peaceful state of mind. passively relying on a supernatural force while jostling and pushing in sacred temple grounds is a paradox. "buddha resides in the heart. everyone should spend time cultivating knowledge and morality instead of leaving life's outcomes to a higher power or elaborate offerings," he said.

after days bedridden with illness, Ngoc Thuong canceled her entire spiritual itinerary for the first lunar month.

going against the crowd, Dinh Hieu, residing in Ha Noi, chose to stay home for the six-day tet holiday. haunted by the crowded scenes of previous years, his family gathered to cook, watch movies with their children, and clean the house this year. "the most precious peace resides in a reunited home; there's no need to jostle in crowded temples," Hieu shared.

Quynh Nguyen