The annual Quan The Am (Avalokitesvara) Festival officially opened at the namesake pagoda in Da Nang’s Marble Mountains tourist area on Monday evening, and it will run until Wednesday, 4 April.

A representative from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism presents a Certificate of Merit to the festival’s organisers. (Photo: Ngoc Ha)

In attendance at the opening ceremony were municipal People’s Committee Chairman Huynh Duc Tho and municipal People’s Council Vice Chairman Nguyen Nho Trung.

In her remarks at the event, Ngu Hanh Son District People’s Committee Chairwoman 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 3-day event features a number of solemn Buddhist traditional rituals, including the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Statue procession, and a solemn ritual to pray for peace and safety throughout the year.

In addition, there are a wide range of exciting cultural and sporting activities such as visits to the Buddhist Cultural Museum, the floating of flower garlands and coloured lanterns on a river, a photo exhibition about the Marble Mountains, ‘bai choi’ (singing while acting as playing cards), a calligraphy performance, a traditional boat race, and a fascinating martial arts performance.

Besides, there are various fascinating cultural exchanges with visiting Buddhist delegations from Thailand, India, Japan and other countries worldwide.

In particular, visitors to the festival had the opportunity to enjoy the Japanese arts of Ikebana flower arranging and calligraphy.

A large number of Buddhist followers and visitors are expected to attend the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Statue procession tomorrow (4 April).

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.