An art performance at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Tây Yên Tử Spring Festival. VNA/VNS Photo Danh Lam

BẮC NINH — The 2026 Tây Yên Tử Spring Festival opened at the Tây Yên Tử spiritual – ecological tourism complex in the northern province of Bắc Ninh on February 28, attracting large numbers of Buddhists and visitors from far and wide.

Held at the Hoa Nghiêm bell tower square, the ceremony marked the UNESCO recognition of the Yên Tử – Vĩnh Nghiêm – Côn Sơn, Kiếp Bạc Complex of Monuments and Landscapes, which spans Quảng Ninh, Bắc Ninh and Hưng Yên provinces, as a World Cultural Heritage site and reflected local efforts to preserve and promote heritage values.

Lê Đức Thắng, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Council of Tây Yên Tử Commune, highlighted the site’s historical and cultural significance and the enduring values of harmony and peace promoted by King-Monk Trần Nhân Tông (1258–1308), who founded the Trúc Lâm Zen sect.

Tây Yên Tử is not just a festival space, but a place where the fundamental values that have shaped the character and enduring vitality of the Vietnamese people, especially patriotism and the aspiration for peace, converge and spread, he noted.

He added that the UNESCO recognition of the complex not only affirms the outstanding universal values of the heritage site, but also opens up opportunities for Tây Yên Tử to become a destination for international friends, helping to promote the image of Việt Nam as a peaceful and humane country of sustainable development.

The opening ceremony featured traditional rituals, art performances and a peace bell-ringing ceremony, expressing wishes for national prosperity and public well-being.

Various cultural and spiritual activities are taking place during the festival, helping promote national pride, tourism and investment attraction.

Local authorities aim to develop Tây Yên Tử into a key cultural and spiritual tourism hub, contributing to sustainable socio-economic development in Bắc Ninh Province and the wider region. — VNA/VNS