The diocese cathedral located in the center of Nha Trang City was not only the religious worshipping place of 3,000 Catholics but also an attractive spot of sightseeing for visitors to the city.

Increasing number of visitors to Nha Trang Cathedral

Since 2015, Chinese tourists to Khanh Hoa province has increased substantially, and the number of visitors to Nha Trang Cathedral has reached from 800 to 1,500 everyday. Chinese tourists often came in large groups, from 5 to 7 buses with 45 to 52 seats each bus, overcrowding the cathedral and causing problems to the surrounding transport. Many foreign tourists talked noisily while walking in the cathedral, wore short dresses or revealing clothes while running or jumping around worshipping symbols. In addition, some visitors disposed rubbish unconscientiously after drinking and eating in this Catholic place of worship. 

According to head of the religious practicing board of the Nha Trang Cathedral parish Nguyễn Hữu Anh, the diocese cathedral has a beautiful architecture and many tourists just came to the place for short times just for sightseeing and taking photos; the cathedral had to build more toilets, place additional rubbish bins around and increase the number of volunteers for patrolling and protection of buses and other vehicles. However, the cathedral has to announce not to receive visitors coming in large groups and wearing insensitively after a long time trying to cope with the situation, he added.

Some tourists wear insensitively

Cathedral’s announcing sign not to receive visitors coming in large groups and wearing insensitive clothing

Earlier, Long Son Pagoda located in Nha Trang City has also sent a note to tourist corps asking heads or tour guides of touring groups to make early contacts prior to taking tourists to the Buddhist pagoda. The pagoda has also issued a regulation on dresses, walking and talking manners, and disposal of rubbish, etc, for visitors to the Buddhist temple, in order to ensure the visitors’ respect toward the Buddhist worshipping place.

The pagoda’s recent message toward tourists coming to the Buddhist place is a response to the fact that there has been many insensitive behaviors and manners of visitors to the pagoda, such as climbing on sacred symbols for taking photos, throwing rubbish in grounds and walking lines inside the place, etc. Buddhist layman Trần Sơn, Deputy Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Chapter in Khanh Hoa Province affirmatively stated that the pagoda is the Buddhist worshipping place, not the place for eating and resting for tourists

Places of sightseeing in Khanh Hoa province often saw insensitive and inappropriate manners and habits  of many Chinese tourists, so the competent authorities and tourist corps should find solutions for both attracting visitors and ensuring respect of customs and worshipping traditions in the locality./.

PTT (vov.vn)