The admiration, respect, and absolute trust of many pilgrims in the sacredness, miraculousness and response of the Holy Land Mother of Sam Mountain, together with dynamic and flexible management, has helped Sam Mountain attract more tourists and become a must-visit destination in An Giang province. Our reporter has an interview with Mr. Nguyen Phuc Hoan, Director of Nui Sam Temple Management Board, on activities of the legacy.
A festive gathering in An Giang province
Could you introduce activities of the monument in the first months of 2023?
In the first months of 2023, the Nui Sam Temple Management Board successfully carried out three important events: Lunar New Year 2023, Procession Ceremony on the 15th and 16th day of the first lunar month, and Nui Sam Temple Festival from June 9-14.
These events were managed and organized in accordance with the current law, with strict epidemic prevention and control measures in place. Traditional ceremonies were held according to local traditions and customs to woo a large number of people and visitors. Visitor arrivals increased by 21.38% or 620,000 to 3,893,544 people.
Civilized lifestyles and conducts at festive events were propagated. Order security, traffic safety, fire and explosion prevention, environmental sanitation, food safety and hygiene, and commercial civilization were upheld.
Budget revenue and expenditure was managed transparently, clearly and lawfully.
In the context of the economic slowdown, tourism is being severely affected. However, visitor numbers to Nui Sam Temple continued to rise steadily. Would you be kind enough to tell us what entices tourists?
The core, main, and most important reason is still the admiration, respect and absolute trust of pilgrims to the sacredness, mystery and fulfillment of the Holy Land Mother of Sam Mountain. In addition, there are the leadership, direction, support, assistance and facilitation of the province, Chau Doc City and local agencies.
Maintaining security and order, ensuring safety and peace of mind for tourists, serving and supporting tourists to visit, pilgrimage and worship at the holy places are always enhanced and focused.
Could you please tell us about investment and plans in the coming time to preserve and develop Nui Sam Temple sustainably and effectively?
In the coming time, the Nui Sam Temple Management Board will continue to accelerate the implementation of Nui Sam Cultural Park, actively coordinate in site clearance for the project; coordinate and urge project managers, consultants, supervisors and construction contractors to work as scheduled and ensure the progress and quality of the 81-meter high Shakyamuni Buddha statue; and complete the project on preserving, embellishing and promoting the value of the national monument on the top of Sam Mountain.
The board will press the consulting agency to connect UNESCO to consider and register Ba Chua Xu Mountain Festival as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in the 2024 review.
The board will continue to propose and complete the dossiers for upgrading the ranking of Vinh Te Pagoda to the national level and Am Nhon Temple to the provincial level.
It will use donated money and socialized sources for right purposes in an open and transparent manner.
What solutions has the Board adopted to enhance its management and administration?
The Nui Sam Temple Management Board has strengthened education to raise responsibility among its employees to perform their duties with the highest quality and outcome.
The board has coordinated with its superior agencies, especially communication, promotion and education agencies, and younger generations to preserve, uphold and develop tangible and intangible values to boost tourism development, introduce and popularize images of historical, cultural, architectural and artistic relics and festivals managed and organized by the Nui Sam Temple Management Board to tourists far and wide.
The board has effectively advised the Party Committee and the People's Committee of Chau Doc City to introduce new policies to new contexts and developments. It has also introduced new spiritual, cultural and historical products for tourists from all over the world. It also carried out Nui Sam Cultural Park and Chau Thi Te Temple.
The agency has also trained, fostered and developed more professional human resources to enhance their knowledge about tourism, cultural legacy and traditional rituals to be promoted and preserved.
Thank you very much!
| Nui Sam National Tourist Area is famous for spiritual, cultural and religious tourism. It has many historical relics, including those managed by the Nui Sam Temple Management Board like Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb, Vinh Te Pagoda, Ba Ngu rock pedestal on the top of Sam Mountain, and especially Ba Chua Xu Nui Sam Temple - a national historic site. In addition, some traditional festivals are organized by the board like Procession Ceremony (Prayer for Peace Ceremony at Am Nhon Temple) held on the 15th day of the first lunar month, and especially the Ba Chua Xu Nui Sam Festival - a national intangible festival - held from the 22nd to 27th days of the fourth lunar month, which annually attracts over 4 million domestic and international visitors. Over the past time, the Nui Sam Temple Management Board has protected, preserved and promoted the recognized cultural heritages. It has constantly restored, embellished, protected and preserved relics, promoted legacy values of national monuments it manages. The agency has also organized annual festivals and rituals according to local traditions and customs; regularly preserved, restored and embellished relics to ensure the beauty and sanitation of relics and upheld intangible cultural and architectural values of monuments. In addition, the board has cooperated with local authorities and relevant agencies to build welfare works, join gratitude events, take part in hunger eradication and poverty alleviation movements, support lonely old people, orphans, and assist local communities to improve health, culture, education, welfare, social and charity conditions, thus helping boost local socioeconomic development. |
By Danh Hai, Vietnam Business Forum
Vietnamese
October 2024
Hanoi