People flock to the pagoda with the largest tower garden in Vietnam on the first day of the year.

TPO - From the first day of Tet, crowds of people flocked to Bo Da Pagoda, Tien Son Commune, Viet Yen Town ( Bac Giang ) to visit the scenery and pray for health and peace in the new year.

TPO - From the first day of Tet, crowds of people flocked to Bo Da Pagoda, Tien Son Commune, Viet Yen Town (Bac Giang) to visit the scenery and pray for health and peace in the new year.

Present at Bo Da Pagoda on the afternoon of the first day of Tet, Tien Phong reporter recorded a bustling stream of people flocking to this pagoda. Groups of people came to visit the pagoda and pray for good things in the new year. The path to the pagoda was decorated with many kumquat trees and some miniature landscapes as highlights for visitors to "check-in".

Crowds of people flock to Bo Dau Pagoda on the first day of the year. Photo: Nguyen Thang.

As the afternoon wore on, more and more tourists flocked to Bo Da Pagoda. The parking lot was packed with cars and motorbikes. Many families came in groups of dozens of people. For the convenience of tourists, the local government had concreted the parking lot and the path leading to the pagoda from a distance.

Just after burning incense in the temple, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Tinh in Hong Thai ward, Viet Yen town (Bac Giang) shared that she is 80 years old this year. Her house is nearly 20 km from Bo Da pagoda. For many years, her family has gone to Bo Da pagoda on the first day of Tet to pray for health and fortune. This year, her extended family of 30 people, including grandchildren, in-laws, and children came to the pagoda.

Nguyen Thi Tinh's extended family visited Bo Da Pagoda on the first day of Tet. Photo: Nguyen Thang.

“My children and grandchildren go to the pagoda together at the beginning of the year to strengthen family ties. This is also an opportunity for my whole family to visit Bo Da pagoda and rest after a year of hard work,” said Mr. Tinh.

For many tourists, Bo Da Pagoda has become an indispensable destination in their spring travel itinerary. Ms. Do Thu Hoan in Ninh Son Commune, Viet Yen Town said that this year she turns 41, but has been going to Bo Da Pagoda on the first day of Tet for 30 years. Since the 4th grade, she has followed her parents to Bo Da Pagoda on the first day of the year. Since then, she has been going to Bo Da Pagoda every year when Tet comes and spring comes.

Tourists take photos to celebrate the first day of the year at Bo Da Pagoda. Photo: Nguyen Thang.

“This year, my family and relatives of 7 people went to Bo Da pagoda. In the new year, I pray for health, happiness, and for my children to be good and study well,” said Ms. Hoan.

Bo Da Pagoda, located on Bo Da Mountain range, is a famous ancient temple in the ancient Kinh Bac region. A unique feature of Bo Da Pagoda is that it has the largest tower garden in Vietnam, burying the ashes of more than 1,000 monks and nuns from 300 years ago.

The famous tower garden at Bo Da Pagoda. Photo: Nguyen Thang.

According to legend, Bo Da Pagoda dates back to the Ly Dynasty, around the 11th century. During the reign of King Le Du Tong (1720-1729), Bo Da Pagoda underwent major renovations. Compared to other traditional pagodas in the North, Bo Da Pagoda has a unique and distinctive architecture. The pagoda was built in the architectural style of "inner public, outer private". Because of that, the tranquil and spiritual appearance becomes even more evident.

Bo Da Pagoda is the ancestral place and a large Buddhist center, playing an important role in propagating and maintaining the development of Buddhism, of which the Lam Te Zen sect is the main one.

As the afternoon progressed, more and more people flocked to Bo Da Pagoda. Photo: Nguyen Thang.

To serve the practice and training of monks and nuns, the pagoda has carved nearly 2,000 woodblocks from the wood of the Le Hien Tong dynasty. Bo Da Pagoda has been ranked as a special national monument by the Prime Minister .

Bo Da Pagoda currently consists of 16 large and small buildings with 92 rooms fully functional as a composer's house, ancestor's house, dharma house, guest house, and the main hall still uses traditional architecture. The main hall is built in the shape of the letter T, the back hall has 5 rooms, the front hall has 7 rooms.

In December 2024, Bac Giang province issued regulations on financial management and revenue and expenditure for festival organization and donations and sponsorship for relics in the province. Accordingly, 5% of donations and sponsorships are used to create a source of funding for restoration and rehabilitation of relics in the province, 30% is reserved for festival activities, 30% is reserved for regular activities of the unit and relic management board, and the rest is for special expenses.

Nguyen Thang

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nguoi-dan-do-ve-ngoi-chua-co-vuon-thap-lon-nhat-viet-nam-ngay-dau-nam-post1713257.tpo