Since 5am, there has been a quite a number of tourists lining up for boats and ferries at Yen pier (Huong Son Monument and Landscape Complex). However, the number of tourists is not as high as yesterday (the 5th day of the Lunar New Year). There are still many empty boats, no congestion or traffic jam happening.
At each ticket gate, there are 4 security guards continuously providing guidance and arranging seats for tourists. The festival opening day falls on a normal working day, which is also the first day people return to work after the Lunar New Year.
Most tourists schedule their visit during the Lunar New Year and concentrate on the last day of the holiday. In order to wait for tourists, many boat drivers line up and gather to chat with each other while waiting for passengers.
Some boat drivers complain about the significant decline in the number of tourists compared to previous days. According to the security guard at ferry gate number 3, more than 5,000 people passed through this gate on the 5th day of the Lunar New Year. Currently, there are a total of 9 ticket gates operating at Yen pier.
Representative of the Management Board of Huong Son Monument and Landscape Complex (Huong Pagoda) said that during the first days of the year, the monument received about 140,000 tourists.
On the 3rd day of the Lunar New Year (February 12) – the first day of selling tickets for the 2024 festival season – there were more than 21,000 people who came to visit and worship. On the 4th day of the Lunar New Year, there were about 56,000 tourists visiting Huong Pagoda to celebrate the spring and participate in traditional activities.
The number of people coming to Huong Pagoda during the Lunar New Year has increased significantly. The Management Board of Huong Son Monument and Landscape Complex actively develops plans to ensure the safety of tourists. “We mobilize about 150 people from various forces to ensure safety, maintain security and order for the people during the festival,” said Mr. Nguyen Ba Hien, Head of the Management Board of Huong Son Monument.
Although not listed on the official price list of the monument, if tourists want to go with their own group and not share the boat with another group, they can choose to hire a private boat. For example, if the group has 4 people, tourists have to pay an extra 170,000 Vietnamese dong (2 tickets) to the boat driver for departure.
In the 2024 Huong Pagoda festival, the Organizing Committee officially launched electronic ticket sales and tested electric vehicles for transportation of tourists. There are about 110 electric vehicles in operation, with a ticket price of 20,000 Vietnamese dong per person per trip. The boat ticket counter recorded low passenger numbers, with only a few groups of dozens of people.
At 6am, the number of visitors started to increase, but not significantly. The number of groups with more than ten people can be counted on one hand.
