The number of visitors, including foreigners, to legendary general Vo Nguyen Giap’s resting place in northern Quang Binh province soared during Tet days, with over 10,000 visits a day, 10 times more than normal days.

According to Captain Khac Ngoc Tan Hao, head of the guard team at General Giap’s grave in Vung Chua, Quang Trach district, this is the largest number of visitors since mid Oct 2013, when the general was laid to rest here.

Some 2,000 groups of pilgrims from across the country visit the site each day to pay tribute to the revered army leader and pray for blessings and good luck in the new year. Foreigners also arrive in groups to pay homage to the general, which has been showered with praise by the foreign media.

“We’ve never seen such huge crowds here before, though quite a large number of people have visited the general every day since his funeral. There were times when the line of visitors was non-stop from dawn till dusk. Jams also happened often at the parking plots,” said Hoang Van Qua, one of the provincial border soldiers who are in charge of the site.

Major Trinh Minh Tam said that visitors are forbidden from offering fruits, particularly small change or votive papers, as they often do in pagodas and temples. In times of “rush-hours”, they are even discouraged from burning incense.

“General Giap’s resting place has become one of the province’s key religious tourism attractions,” said Nguyen Van Ky, deputy head of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The department’s statistics on Feb 6 revealed that there’re some 83,300 visits, including more than 1,800 foreign tourists, to Quang Binh province on and around Tet days, from Jan 28 to Feb 5. The number is up 30% compared to the same period last year.

Among them, more than 52,800, mostly from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang and Hue, paid tribute to Gen. Giap at his final resting place as part of their tours which also include visits to the province’s UNESCO-recognized Phong Nha grotto.

Local tour providers also reported a sharp rise in the number of people taking part in pilgrimage tours to the general’s grave.

“Vietnamese people traditionally go to pagodas on and around Tet to pray for blessings and good luck for the entire year. I chose to visit the general instead of going to pagodas and really feel blessed and at peace here,” an elderly visitor shared.

Vo Nguyen Giap, the first four-star general and the former commander-in-chief of the Vietnam army, passed away in Hanoi on Oct 4, more than a month after he celebrated his 103rd birthday.

He started his career as a history teacher before joining the army to become a legendary general who led the Vietnam Army to defeat the French and US invaders in 1954 and 1975 respectively.

His funeral, the largest in Vietnam for decades, attracted thousands of locals who queued for several hours to pay tribute to the general. People have visited his resting place non-stop since.