Strengthening the management of religious sites during the year-end period.

Towards the end of the year, when the demand for pilgrimages and religious practices at spiritual sites increases, functional agencies, departments, and localities in the province have proactively coordinated and implemented many comprehensive management solutions to ensure that activities take place in a civilized, safe, and healthy manner.

At the Bao Ha Temple relic site (Bao Ha commune) - one of the spiritual destinations attracting a large number of people and tourists from both inside and outside the country - the atmosphere of worship is bustling these days, but order and the landscape of the relic site are kept clean and beautiful.

Visitors offer incense at the Bao Ha Temple historical site.

To achieve this, the Bao Ha Commune Relic and Tourism Development Management Board proactively developed a plan to serve the peak season at the end of the year and the beginning of spring well in advance, assigning specific tasks to each department on duty at the relic site. At the same time, they coordinated with local authorities, the police, health services, electricity companies, and other relevant units to ensure security, order, traffic safety, fire prevention, and medical emergency services.

Comrade Nguyen Van Quyen – Head of the Management Board of Relics and Tourism Development of Bao Ha Commune, said: “The Management Board has coordinated with functional forces to patrol and control the area inside and outside the Bao Ha Temple relics as well as other spiritual relics in the area. We have organized traffic flow management and guidance, and deployed permanent forces in areas with large crowds. Through this, we have promptly detected and handled acts of soliciting, theft, begging, illegal money exchange, superstition, and other behaviors that cause disorder and offense in the spiritual space.”

The Bảo Hà Temple's surrounding environment is well-maintained, clean, and beautiful.

Notably, the Bao Ha Commune Relic and Tourism Development Management Board also focuses on environmental sanitation and landscape maintenance of the relics; strengthening waste collection, adding trash cans and toilets, and maintaining regular cleaning, especially during peak hours. They strictly manage service and business activities within the relic area, reminding and correcting service attitudes, and building an image of friendly, civilized, and hospitable local people.

In the final days of the year, the Dong Cuong Temple in Dong Cuong commune welcomes many groups from across the country to perform the spirit medium ritual with elaborately prepared performances. The atmosphere is joyful and lively, yet still solemn and sacred, attracting the attention of many locals and tourists.

Dong Cuong Temple is one of the historical sites that attracts spirit mediums from all over the country to practice the spirit medium ritual at the end of the year.

Hoang Dinh Ky, a medium from Lang Son province, shared: “Every year I come to Dong Cuong Temple to participate in the spirit medium rituals once or twice. I find that the management board of the historical site and the local authorities manage and organize the activities very systematically and properly. The mediums who come here are regularly reminded to practice the rituals in a civilized and economical manner. This helps maintain the solemnity of the worship space, so that every time people return, they can clearly feel the spiritual value as well as the beauty of the traditional culture of our nation.”

Faced with increasing visitor numbers, the local authorities and the Dong Cuong Temple Management Board have actively implemented measures to manage and organize religious activities at the site, linking the spiritual needs of the people with the preservation of traditional cultural heritage values. The Dong Cuong Temple Management Board has also proactively developed plans for peak periods, deployed permanent personnel in key areas, and strengthened guidance for the public and tourists on practicing religious rituals correctly. Security, order, environmental sanitation, and fire prevention and control have been prioritized. This has enabled timely handling of any arising situations, preventing any offensive or disorderly conduct within the site.

Currently, Lao Cai province has 304 historical sites, including nearly 80 spiritual sites. Many of these spiritual sites are popular tourist destinations attracting a large number of domestic and international visitors. To ensure that these spiritual sites operate safely and respectfully, meeting the religious needs of the people and tourists during the peak season at the end of the year, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lao Cai province has proactively implemented a comprehensive set of management solutions. The focus is on organizing and strictly managing religious activities and festivals at these sites, along with guiding, inspecting, and supervising the implementation of regulations on religious practices.

Religious activities and festivals at spiritual sites throughout the province are always organized and managed strictly.

Comrade Duong Tuan Nghia – Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lao Cai province, said: “The end of the year is a time when many people and tourists visit spiritual sites to offer incense and give thanks. This reality leads to many related issues such as security, order, environment, services, food safety and hygiene, and cultural behavior. Without strict management, phenomena such as the widespread burning of votive paper, inappropriate offerings, fortune telling, exchanging small change, encroachment on sidewalks and roads, and fire safety violations can easily arise, affecting the image of the historical sites and traditional cultural values.”

Therefore, the Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has issued directives on strengthening the management and organization of festivals and ensuring traffic order and safety before, during, and after the Lunar New Year. The focus is on comprehensively reviewing the organization and management of religious activities and festivals; strengthening inspection and supervision of the implementation of civilized lifestyles; and resolutely handling violations of laws on cultural heritage, beliefs, and religions.

Furthermore, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the province has focused on and directed the comprehensive implementation of propaganda and awareness campaigns for the people and visitors regarding the proper and civilized practice of religious activities, as well as promoting the history and value of the relics. The review and renovation of worship spaces, ensuring the safety of electrical, water, lighting, parking, and service areas, have been intensified. In particular, food safety and hygiene in service areas within and around the relics have also been prioritized to ensure the health of residents and visitors.

The dissemination of information about the history and value of the relics is a priority for the management boards of spiritual relics in the province.

It is evident that strengthening the management of spiritual destinations during the year-end period contributes to maintaining security and order, preserving the solemnity of worship spaces, and conserving and promoting the value of traditional cultural heritage. With the coordinated efforts of all levels, sectors, and local authorities, religious activities and festivals in Lao Cai province will become increasingly orderly, civilized, and healthy, contributing to enhancing the image of spiritual tourism destinations and attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/tang-cuong-quan-ly-cac-di-tich-tam-linh-dip-cuoi-nam-post891627.html