Tens of thousands of people crammed a relic site in northern Vietnam to commemorate the death of the nation's founding fathers, the Hung Kings, on Wednesday despite the COVID-19 pandemic. 

By that morning, visitors had arrived at the foot of Nghia Linh Mountain in Phu Tho Province, ready to hike to the top to pay homage at the Hung Kings Temple relic site.

Vietnam designates the tenth day of the third month in the lunar calendar, which is considered the death anniversary of the founding fathers, as a national holiday, which fell on Wednesday this year.

The deluge of visitors was preempted by local authorities, who mobilized approximately 1,000 police officers, soldiers, and volunteers to route traffic and ensure order at the temple.

The force spent the day reminding visitors of COVID-19 safety regulations and advising them against forming big swarms and jostling in queues.

Youth volunteers and police officers put together two human chains to guide the flow of visitors at the main entrance.

After guests of honor offered their incense sticks during an elaborate ceremony in the morning, the tens of thousands of visitors standing behind the gates were allowed to move into the temple.

By 9:00 am, the crowd in the temple had significantly enlarged, leading to long delays stretching down to the main square.

It is estimated that the Hung Kings Temple relic site welcomed some 20,000 visitors in just the morning.

Le Truong Giang, director of the site, said the mangement board had devised plans to ensure order and COVID-19 safety during the national holiday.

“During the ceremony for guests of honor, we cooperated with other forces in guiding visitors to the museum, as well as the Temples of Mother Au Co and Father Lac Long Quan [the legendary ancestors of the Vietnamese people] to avoid congestion,” Giang said.

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