People from all over the country arrive at the Hùng Kings Temple Relic Site in the northern province of Phú Thọ to pay tribute to the nation's legendary founders on Sunday. — VNA/VNS Photo Trung Kiên

HÀ NỘI — Thousands of people visited the Hùng Kings Temple Relic Site in the northern province of Phú Thọ during the three-day national holiday.

The site reported a major surge in visitors as 200,000 people came to attend the official ceremony on Sunday to pay tribute to the nation's legendary founders.

Its director Lê Trường Giang told Tuổi trẻ (Youth) newspaper on Sunday: “One hundred per cent of the province’s police and 300 youth volunteers and military personnel were mobilised to ensure safety for the ceremony and visitors.

“This morning alone, hundreds of thousands of people have arrived to pay tribute to the Hùng Kings.”

President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, Party and State officials, and the province's leaders offered incense and flowers in tribute to the kings the same day.

The site welcomed about 20,000 visitors on Saturday, and 10,000 on Friday, according to Giang.

The large number of visitors caused traffic congestion in the province’s Việt Trì City on Saturday night.

Tribute ceremonies to the kings were also held at various locations across the country, including HCM City, the Central Highlands province of Đắk Lắk and Lâm Đồng, and the southern provinces of Kiên Giang, Vĩnh Long, Đồng Nai, Cần Thơ and Cà Mau.

The Vietnamese embassies and diasporas in Malaysia, Hungary, and France also paid tribute to their homeland’s founders in their respective countries.

A large number of people chose not to attend ceremonies but to spend their holiday at tourist attractions in Hà Nội and Hải Phòng cities, the northern provinces of Lào Cai, Quảng Ninh, and the southern province of Khánh Hòa.

Thousands of visitors came to Thủ Lệ Park, Bảo Sơn Paradise Park, Ba Vì National Park in Hà Nội, while 78,300 people visited Lào Cai from Saturday to Monday, according to the province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Security said 21 people were killed and 31 injured in traffic accidents on Saturday and Sunday.

Twenty-five accidents were reported on Sunday, killing 10 people and leaving 17 injured, while 27 on Saturday, killing 11 and injuring 14 people, according to the ministry’s Traffic Police Department. — VNS