The annual Quan The Am (Avalokitesvara) Festival, which ran from 2 and 4 April at the  namesake pagoda in Da Nang’s Marble Mountains tourist area, attracted thousands of Buddhists and non-Buddhists from Da Nang and other localities nationwide.

The annual Quan The Am (Avalokitesvara) Festival attracted thousands of Buddhists and non-Buddhists from Da Nang and other localities nationwide.

This year’s 3-day festival featured a number of solemn Buddhist rituals, various fascinating arts performances and cultural activities.

Amongst Buddhist followers from other localities was 70-year-old Bui Thi Phuong from Quang Nam Province’s Tam Ky District.

She said “The Quan The Am Festival is a great opportunity for me and Buddhist followers to pray for good luck and health for our families through solemn rituals, and discover the beauty of the Marble Mountains”. 

Phuong and over 100 Buddhists from her hometown participated in this exciting festival. They had a wonderful chance to explore the allure of the Marble Mountains tourist area through their visits to such attractions there as the mysterious caves of Huyen Khong and Am Phu.

The Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Statue procession, which is the most important ritual during the Quan The Am Festival, was held on Wednesday. It attracted a large number of Buddhist dignitaries, monks, nuns, and followers, along with many locals and visitors.

Re-creating the image of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

According to the Festival’s organising board, 60% of the organisational cost of this year’s event was from public donations, whilst the rest came from the city budget.

Since being recognised in 2000 as one of Viet Nam’s top 15 national-level spiritual festivals, the Quan The Am Festival has drawn a great deal of attention from Buddhists and non- Buddhists across from the city and elsewhere in the country.

Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, is one of the most important and popular Buddhist deities for Buddhists and non- Buddhists. 

Like other meaningful cultural and spiritual event, the Quan The Am Festival plays an important role in educating human beings towards love and the good things in life.

The Chairwoman of the Ngu Hanh Son District People’s Committee and Head of the Festival’s organising board, Mrs Nguyen Thi Anh Thi, highlighted the important role of the Quan The Am Festival in helping locals and visitors gain an deeper insight into Buddhist culture and types of the traditional arts, as well as join in cultural exchanges with international friends, especially those from Buddhist countries.

The Festival not only satisfies the religious beliefs of Buddhist followers, but it has also become a special tourism product of the Marble Mountains tourist area. In addition, it has helped to preserve and promote the traditional Vietnamese cultural identity.

During the Festival, the festival’s organising board joined efforts with relevant local agencies to ensure security, traffic safety, environmental sanitation, fire prevention and fighting, food hygiene and safety for locals and visitors during the event.

In particular, the focus was on ensuring the smooth movement of vehicles, and food safety and hygiene at the eating and drinking stores.

Furthermore, strong measures were taken to stop littering, the harassment of tourists, the operation of street vendors, the illegal trade in fish and birds for release, the burning of votive papers, any increase in parking fees, and the distribution of illegal documents which negatively affect Vietnamese customs and traditions.