The pagoda was completely packed on March 14 as people came to pray on the first day of the lunar February. 400 tourist electric cars operated at full capacity but still couldn't meet demand. The organisation board had to stop selling tickets and offering transportation services.

Despite the advice on the loudspeakers, many people didn't wear face masks.

Venerable Thích Minh Quang, vice head of Tam Chuc Pagoda, said, "About 50,000 people visited Tam Chuc Pagoda on March 14. We usually have around 10,000 visitors at the most. Because of the sudden surge of visitors, we were also very unprepared. We hope visitors will arrange their visiting time more suitably during the week."

Tạ Đình Quyền, vice head of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said they had asked the pagoda to strictly follow preventive measures such as asking visitors to wear face masks and taking their body temperatures.

On March 15, they will work with the pagoda and the management board of Tam Chuc Tourism Site to discuss suitable solutions to deal with the number of visitors while ensuring preventive measures.