The annual Huong (Perfume) Pagoda Festival opened in Hanoi’soutskirts district of My Duc on February 8 or the sixth day of the firstlunar month.

The festival is the biggest and longest annual festival inVietnam that lasts through three spring months, welcoming more than 1million pilgrims and tourists each year.

On the first day of the festival, an art programme was held and an art exhibition opened at the pagoda’s museum.

Highlightsof the festival will be a poetry night and a night of flower garlandsand coloured lanterns in the Yen stream. The poetry night will be heldon the 15 th day of the first lunar month.

The festival organising board and local authorities have invested inexpanding the wharf and put a total of 4,600 boats into service duringthis year’s festival.

Sightseeing trips topagodas, temples and caves are the main attractions at the Huong pagodafestival, as well as ceremonies to ask favours from Lord Buddha.

Built in the late 17th century, Huong Pagoda is located in My DucDistrict at a historic site that has a large number of pagodas, templesand caverns filled with marvelous kinds of stalactiles, about 60km fromdowntown Hanoi. The Huong Tich cavern has the autograph of Lord TrinhSam in 1770, describing the cavern as the most beautiful cave in thecountry./.