As a spiritual tourism destination in Uong Bi City, Quang Ninh, Chua Ba Vang welcomes millions of tourists from both inside and outside the country every year to visit and worship. This is also an ideal Halong tourism destination for you to immerse yourself in the majestic natural scenery and indescribably peaceful atmosphere. So if you are planning to travel to Halong, whether visiting Chua Ba Vang on a full-package Halong tour or traveling independently to Halong, remember these tips to have the best trip. Just keep in mind the few tips that Cuong is about to mention, and your Halong trip will become much more interesting.
1. Choose the appropriate means of transportation
An ongoing issue not only for Halong tourism but for any trip is the headache of choosing the means of transportation.
Currently, to travel to Halong, visit Chua Ba Vang, you can choose from various means of transportation such as motorbikes, cars, buses, or trains… However, Cuong’s advice for this trip to visit Chua Ba Vang is to choose to travel by bus or motorbike, which is the most convenient and reasonable for solo or duo travelers.
If you are traveling with family or a group of friends, choosing these two means of transportation will cause a lot of inconvenience. At this point, consider renting a tour car service for your Halong trip. Car rental services from 4-seaters to 45-seaters in Hanoi offer a wide range of choices for Halong tourists to comfortably choose from. Furthermore, when choosing a chauffeured car rental service, you will be served attentively by the driver throughout the journey to ensure the most comfortable and safe trip.
For those on a Halong tour, visiting Chua Ba Vang on a full-package tour, you don’t even need to worry about this issue, as the travel company will arrange a car for you, usually using a Limousine, so you can rest assured about the quality, although the price may be slightly higher, the convenience and significant time-saving capabilities make it a reasonable choice, right?
2. Choose suitable accommodation
If you are only traveling to Ha Long and visiting Ba Vang Pagoda for a day, you won’t need to worry about where to stay as you can rest right at the pagoda. However, if you are going on a 3-day 2-night or 2-day 1-night Ba Vang – Yen Tu tour, you will need to arrange accommodation in advance.
Yen Tu Pagoda is only 10km away from Ba Vang Pagoda, so for Ha Long tourists who want to combine a Ba Vang – Yen Tu tour, it’s recommended to visit Ba Vang Pagoda first and then Yen Tu Pagoda for a more convenient route. When choosing a hotel to stay while visiting Ba Vang Pagoda, it’s best to choose one located between these two Ha Long tourist destinations for easier access. One suggestion from Cuong that you can consider is Sentosa Hotel located in Quang Trung Ward, Uong Bi City, with prices starting from around 300,000 VND per room per night depending on the season and room type you choose.
3. Choosing attire when visiting Ba Vang Pagoda
The temple is a sacred and peaceful place, so choosing appropriate clothing to show respect for that solemnity is very important. At Ba Vang Pagoda, clothing is highly regarded. According to the 4th rule in the regulations for visitors to Ba Vang Pagoda, the issue of clothing is mentioned as follows: “When visiting the Pagoda, please maintain the dignity and respect at the Buddha’s entrance: Wear neat clothes, avoid shorts, short skirts, sleeveless shirts, revealing clothes…”. It can be seen that clothing is highly emphasized in sacred places like temples. Therefore, the advice for tourists visiting Ha Long when visiting Ba Vang Pagoda is to choose clothing with simple, modest, and respectful colors. Remember that revealing clothing such as short skirts, high-slit skirts, deep-cut tops… are inappropriate when visiting this tourist destination near Ha Long.
In some tourist destinations, before entering a temple, tourists are provided with wide pieces of fabric to wrap around themselves like a long skirt to cover their legs for those wearing shorts or short skirts. However, not all temples have this practice, so prepare the most suitable clothing if you do not want to stand out.
When it comes to clothing, attention should also be paid to footwear when visiting a temple. Prepare a sturdy and comfortable pair of shoes to travel to Ha Long, and visit Ba Vang Pagoda conveniently. Wear flat shoes or sneakers, absolutely avoid high heels. Why does Cuong emphasize this to you? Because the Ba Vang Pagoda grounds are quite large, with many stairs, so for safety and convenience, you should wear shoes that are comfortable and dynamic, avoiding any potential risks, especially on rainy days when the stairs can be slippery, wearing high heels on stairs is very dangerous.
In general, everyone wants to dress nicely and show their fashion sense in public places. But when visiting spiritual places like Ba Vang Pagoda, set aside your personal display preferences to choose the most appropriate outfit that does not affect the sacred and peaceful space of this tourist destination near Ha Long.
See more: Experience Ha Long Travel, Visit Ba Vang Pagoda in Detail
4. Prepare appropriately when visiting Ba Vang Pagoda
Many tourists visiting Ha Long often wonder what offerings to prepare and how to conduct rituals when visiting Ba Vang Pagoda. The first thing Cuong wants to emphasize is the importance of carefully preparing the offerings because incorrect offerings can greatly affect the act of offering incense to the Buddha. There are specific regulations for preparing offerings when visiting Ba Vang Pagoda that tourists in Ha Long should be aware of and adhere to.
The first regulation that visitors to Ba Vang Pagoda need to know is that when offering incense at the pagoda, only vegetarian offerings should be prepared such as incense, fresh flowers, fruits, vegetarian dishes, sweet sticky rice, and desserts. Furthermore, when preparing offerings, it is customary to offer fake money or gold paper for the Buddha’s rituals at the pagoda. If offering this type of money, it should be placed on the altar of the Holy Mother and the Deity, not on the Buddha’s altar. Not only fake money, even real money should only be placed in the charity box of the pagoda. Additionally, tourists visiting Ba Vang Pagoda in Ha Long should pay attention to how the offerings are arranged neatly and orderly, as it reflects the respect and reverence of visitors towards the higher beings.
Another note that Cuong wants to mention regarding offering preparation is about flower offerings. When buying fresh flowers for Buddha’s offerings, it is recommended to choose lotus flowers, lilies, or single flowers. Mixed or wild flowers should not be chosen for offerings. Also, Cuong advises visitors to prepare offerings from home to avoid buying expensive items at the Ba Vang Pagoda tourist site, as prices may be unusually high during major holidays at nearby Ha Long tourist destinations.
5. Pay attention to speech and behavior when entering the pagoda
Cuong has visited Ha Long many times and has encountered tourists visiting Ha Long who speak too loudly or joke loudly inside the pagoda, disrupting the order. This behavior is highly inappropriate as excessive talking and laughter can disrupt the solemnity of the temple. Therefore, when visiting Ba Vang Pagoda, please be mindful not to use inappropriate language or speak loudly. Speak softly, gently, and politely… Do not push, shove, or crowd while walking; help the elderly and children. If you notice any uncivilized behavior or communication at the pagoda, report it immediately to the management staff for timely intervention to ensure the solemnity and tranquility of the area near Ha Long tourist destination – Ba Vang Pagoda.
6. Exchange small bills at home for convenience when going on a pilgrimage
Many pagodas now offer small bill exchange services, but Cuong noticed that Ba Vang Pagoda does not provide this service. The regulations for visitors to Ba Vang Pagoda clearly state: “strictly prohibit activities such as exchanging small bills, buying and selling, fortune-telling, begging, distributing illegal flyers… any profiteering activities in the temple premises.” Therefore, if you want to sincerely make offerings and show your respect, the advice for tourists visiting Ha Long is to exchange small bills at home for the utmost convenience in all situations.
7. Absolutely do not bring weapons, drugs, addictive substances, or explosive materials into the pagoda
Not only at Ba Vang Pagoda, but in any area in Vietnam, it is prohibited for citizens to possess and use weapons, explosives, and immoral cultural items. According to Cuong, individuals found transporting or storing weapons will face administrative fines, ranging from 4-8 million VND (for cases of storing a small quantity of weapons without a permit or with an expired permit) and fines ranging from 8-12 million VND (for cases of storing a large quantity of weapons without a permit or with an expired permit).
8. Do not scatter money indiscriminately in the pagoda
Placing a small amount of money (charity money) is a beautiful cultural practice when going on a temple pilgrimage. However, not everyone knows how to place money correctly. Besides many people who have the right awareness and positively transform by placing money correctly, there are still some who scatter money indiscriminately, devaluing the Vietnamese currency and displaying a show-off attitude, seeking favor from the deities for themselves.
With the current situation, Cuong sees that many tourists in general and tourists visiting Ha Long, exploring Ba Vang Pagoda in particular still scatter money, spreading it everywhere. This practice significantly affects the aesthetics of the surroundings, especially in spiritual places like temples. Therefore, the point to note for Ha Long tourists visiting Ba Vang Pagoda is that instead of scattering loose change, you should place charity money at the reception desk or only place money in the charity boxes to facilitate the temple’s management work, promote cultural development during festivals, and temple visits.
9. Ask for prices before buying souvenirs at the temple
At Ba Vang temple, there are many souvenirs and food items available for purchase as gifts. However, based on Cuong’s experience, first-time visitors to Ha Long should be cautious and inquire about prices before deciding to buy or eat anything. Merchants often overcharge customers from distant places, especially during holidays and festivals. Visitors should also avoid purchasing items of unknown origin or superstitious products at tourist sites, as some may take advantage of customers’ trust by selling fake or low-quality goods or engaging in scams. Areas with large crowds, especially during festivals, are where scammers are most active. Foreign tourists and domestic travelers may find it difficult to recognize these scams. To avoid such situations, tourists visiting Ha Long and Ba Vang temple should carefully consider and inspect any product before purchasing, ensuring they see and touch the item before buying. Particularly, it’s advisable to avoid overly advertised establishments with extravagant claims, as the quality of their products is often not as advertised.
If you wish to shop, ask local residents for recommendations on reputable stores. Locals who have lived in the area for a long time will know where to find quality goods that tourists can consider when buying gifts. This not only promotes local tourism but also leaves a good impression on tourists from both within and outside the country when visiting Ha Long. For those on a full-package tour to Ha Long, shopping for gifts will be easier as travel agencies will introduce you to the most reliable and quality shopping destinations, so you can trust their recommendations.
See more: Explore Ha Long Tourism with 10 Most Beautiful Ha Long Tourist Spots
10. Principles of entering and exiting the temple
In principle, visiting Ba Vang Pagoda is similar to many other pagodas in the North as follows: When passing through the Three Gates into the pagoda, you should enter the False Gate (on the right) and exit through the No Gate (on the left), not stepping into the Middle Gate (center gate) or stepping on the threshold, as it would be disrespectful. According to ancient beliefs, the Middle Gate is only for the Celestial beings, high monks, and scholars entering the pagoda. Therefore, on normal days, many pagodas do not open the main gate.
In addition, there are some other notes that visitors to Ha Long tourism, when visiting Ba Vang Pagoda, need to be aware of:
- Do not take photos or videos carelessly in Ba Vang Pagoda.
- Do not stand or kneel directly in the middle of the Buddha’s path during Buddha worship as it is the highest position of the abbot. Only stand or kneel slightly to the side.
- Do not use or take any items from the pagoda for personal use.
- Do not wear shoes or chew betel nut, smoke in the Buddha’s path and Three Jewels.
- Before the Buddha statue, show respect, do not look around, bow before the Three Jewels. If you want to admire the Buddha statue, stand outside to observe.
- Do not run back and forth, talk, criticize, sit or lie in the Buddha’s path. Do not sneeze, blow your nose, spit around the Buddha hall, Three Jewels.
- Do not use items from the pagoda such as food, drink, maintain merit, whether little or much.
- Do not let children run wild in the Three Jewels, play with the ritual objects, touch the Buddha statue…
- Do not make noise or speak disrespectfully to the Buddha, Saints, nor show disrespect such as pointing fingers at the Buddha statue.
- When walking, do not cut across the faces of those kneeling in worship.
- If you want to worship, do not kneel behind those standing to light incense.
The ancients had a saying “when in Rome, do as the Romans do,” so when entering a sacred place like a tourist destination near Ha Long – Ba Vang Pagoda, we should follow the above rules to ensure that the act of visiting the pagoda, offering incense, and worshiping is the most enjoyable and smooth. With the 10 notes that Cuong has just shared above, we hope you will have the most convenient trip to Ha Long tourism, visiting Ba Vang Pagoda.
