Adults carry children for 2 hours into Huong Tich cave

Because the Huong Pagoda opening ceremony (forest opening ceremony) on January 6 coincides with the first working day of the new year, on the last day of the holiday, crowds of people flocked to this scenic spot to visit and worship from the morning of February 14.

Places like the boat dock, cable car waiting room and the entrance to Huong Tich cave are always crowded with people queuing. In the photo, a man carrying a child on his back had to jostle continuously for more than 2 hours.

In the early afternoon, the number of people entering Huong Tich cave to worship and pray for peace increased. At the road leading up about 150m from the cave entrance, the number had reached thousands.

According to statistics from the relic site management board, in the past 3 days, this place has welcomed about 80,000 visitors, with nearly 40,000 people on the 5th day of Tet alone. It is expected that the opening day (6th day of Tet) will welcome about 30,000 visitors. The number of visitors is estimated to be 20% higher than the same period last year.

The weather at Huong Pagoda on the afternoon of the 5th day of Tet was sunny, however due to the large number of people, the surrounding air was quite stuffy.

A little child stands among the crowd heading towards the cave.

The entrance to the cave was crowded with visitors and worshippers. Everyone could only inch their way down.

According to many people, to get into the cave they have to leave early, spend about 1 hour by boat, 3 hours waiting for the cable car and 2 hours queuing to reach the destination (inside Huong Tich cave).

Here, people rest, worship, and take souvenir photos, creating a lively yet cramped space.

The main altar in the middle of the cave is where many people offer sacrifices on New Year's Day.

Many people come here with the wish to pray for a lucky new year, good health and full children.

Scene inside Huong Tich cave.

Tourists compete to catch water from stalactites flowing down the bridge, believing that good luck will come in the year of the Dragon.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nguoi-lon-cong-tre-em-2-tieng-vao-dong-huong-tich-2249326.html