Pilgrimage – spiritual and cultural tourism in the context of responsible tourism in northern Vietnam today

Abstract

The term Pilgrimage becomes familiar in religious and cultural activities in Vietnam. In the context of the country’s renovation, people from all social classes come on pilgrimage to visit well-known cultural, historical, and spiritual sites like the Huong Pagoda, Yen Tu relic complex, Ba Vang Pagoda, Thay Pagoda, and Ba Tay Ninh Pagoda, etc. Pilgrimage, a type of spiritual tourism interactive activities for visitors such as practicing rituals, sightseeing, relaxing, shopping, trying cuisine, and treating the environment at the destination, etc. The study uses the method of collecting and analyzing secondary documents, fieldwork, statistics, and through case analysis at Huong Pagoda and Yen Tu relic complex in northern Vietnam to identify positive and limited factors in pilgrimage activities. As a result, despite many factors that contribute to the sustainable development of tourism and the outline of the study of pilgrimage-related forms of spiritual and cultural tourism at "sacred" sites, there are still limitations in how tourists behave in today's responsible tourism activities.