The central province of Thua Thien-Hue is one of only a few localities in Vietnam in a prime position to develop spiritual tourism – which can enrich the spiritual and cultural lives of people.

The province is home to over 55,000 Buddhist followers and boasts more than 100 pagodas, and Buddha worship places. Many pagodas are preserving precious artifacts that have both historical and artistic value.

A performance in Huyen Tran temple festival. Photo: dantri.com.vn

The Hon Chen temple festival, which is held biannually, attracts tens of thousands of tourists from across the country.

Similarly, along with the Huyen Tran temple festival, an accompanying cultural centre established in 2008, receives thousands of visitors annually to offer incense in memory of the princess who expanded the border of Vietnam 700 years ago.

The spark in this tourism form is attributed to national policies of religion and belief, which have actively supported the central locality to develop tourism industry in a sustainable manner.

Provincial statistics show that during the January-October period, the province welcomed 2.12 million arrivals, including 784,000 foreigners.

The province is expected to raise the number of visitors to 3 million by the end of this year.

The revenue from tourism services for 2013 is expected to account for 50 percent of provincial Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Source: VNA