Evaluating the Positives and Limitations in Exploiting Tran Temple Festival for Tourism Development.

limited in providing services for tourists to visit. Every year, during the festival season, tourism business activities take place bustlingly. Accommodation business activities here are limited due to the nature of the majority of visitors to Tran Temple, who visit and do not stay.

Food service establishments are also spontaneously created by local people. The whole commune has only two food service establishments, but their small scale is not enough to serve large groups of guests. Guests who want to use food service must mostly book in advance to prepare for larger food service establishments, which are often far from the Tran Temple relic site, causing inconvenience to visitors.

Just like accommodation services or food and beverage services, the same goes for entertainment services. Most of them are set up by the locals to serve the number of visitors during the festival days. After the festival season, they clean up and put it away for the next year's festival season. There are no large-scale entertainment areas. Most of the souvenir stalls are sold along the road with handmade products, but there are no souvenir stalls or large souvenir shops to serve tourists.

2.3.4. General assessment of festival management.

In order for the tourism activities at Tran Temple (Hung Ha - Thai Binh) to be culturally appropriate, demonstrating the cultural beauty of "remembering the source when drinking water, remembering the person who planted the tree when eating fruit", the authorities, festival organizers, and relic management boards need to have specific plans to be ready to welcome visitors as well as take appropriate measures to limit overload and prevent bad behaviors that affect the beauty of the tourist destination.

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In preparation for the festival season, Hung Ha district said it has invested in a waste treatment system. The number of trash bins has increased significantly compared to last year. This year, to reduce littering, all cases of littering in the wrong place will be fined from 50,000 to 100,000 VND. Environmental sanitation is also given more attention. In addition, the management board of Tran Temple relic (Hung Ha - Thai Binh) also coordinated with the police force to control and immediately prevent acts of soliciting tourists that cause loss of aesthetics and danger to traffic participants. In particular, street vendors at the temple gate have been strictly prohibited by the authorities. This year, the number of tour guides at Tran Temple is 2 people to be ready to serve tourists who want to visit and learn more about the relic complex.

A tourism resource cannot become a tourist destination without appropriate infrastructure investment. Faced with the current overload during the festival season at Tran Temple (Hung Ha - Thai Binh), the Management Board of the relic site has actively invested in more facilities to welcome visitors.

Currently at Tran Temple, to avoid loss, the donation money contributed by people for the needs of flowers, incense, fruit, candles, maintenance and repair... is fully recorded in a separate book. At the same time, each individual records the donation money of the temple and is given a certificate stating their name, age, address, and the amount of money donated. As for the donation box at the temple, each time the box is opened, there is a witness from the representative of Hung Ha district, the representative of Tien Duc commune and the representative of the relic management board.

Regarding traffic in the Tran Temple area: In the past, when there were festivals at temples and pagodas, people often "went to the festival" by walking, taking a boat... Nowadays, people come to the festival by many different means of motorized vehicles, from motorbikes to cars. Understanding that need, the traffic system leading to the relic site has been renovated and newly built to serve the needs of tourists. In particular, the belt road system around the area of the three tombs and leading directly to the temple has been completely newly built with two wide lanes and a high-pressure lighting system at night.

The Tran Temple opening ceremony is held in spring, the season when trees sprout and flowers bloom, so the Party and State officials as well as the relic management board planted souvenir trees at the temple, to arouse the spirit of protecting nature, creating a fresh ecological environment as well as a cultural environment for the temple space. In the temple garden, many types of fruit trees and flowers are also planted, creating a harmonious combination between the green space and the architectural space of the temple.

The festival atmosphere is crowded but there have not been any beggars lying, sitting, or walking along the road soliciting and asking for money from pilgrims. However, there is still the phenomenon of garbage polluting the landscape caused by street vendors.

Normally, some historical relic sites often become crowded during the festival season due to the large number of participants, and the relic space was formed a long time ago when the population at that time was much less than today. However, due to the recent renovation and expansion, the temple space has somewhat met the number of visitors.

2.3.5. Current status of using infrastructure and technical facilities during festivals.

Previously, the Tran Temple in Tien Duc Commune was just a small temple in Tam Duong Commune, lying quietly in a remote village on the banks of the Red River. Few people knew that inside those small old houses, the tablets of the ancestors who founded the Tran Dynasty were still burning with incense smoke. Since the archaeological investigations and research confirmed that Tam Duong land was the birthplace of the Tran Dynasty, this place has undergone a major change. The system of works has been renovated and embellished to be worthy of being the tomb of the first kings of the Tran Dynasty, the land that gave birth to a powerful dynasty.

The hotel and motel system here is not very developed, mainly private motels. Hotels are usually 1 to 2 stars. This is understandable because tourism at Tran Temple (Hung Ha - Thai Binh) is seasonal tourism, only taking place in the first 3 months of the year, the capacity to serve tourists is very low. Moreover, tourism at Tran Temple is short-term tourism (usually 1 to 2 days), so it is not necessary to invest in high-class hotels here. In order to serve this year's festival season well, the relic management board has planned shops including food stalls, souvenir shops and grocery stores... The food stalls must ensure food hygiene and safety. As every year, the parking lots are often managed by the people, leading to the situation of overcharging tourists. This year, the management board has set a unified parking price. Motorbikes are 5,000 VND, cars from 4 to 16 seats are 10,000 VND, and cars over 16 seats are 20,000 VND.

The traffic system in the relic site has been built and completed, connecting the temple with the tomb. The traffic system outside the relic site has received attention from the State. Thai Ha Road is located next to the relic site under construction, connecting Ha Nam and Hai Phong, creating a tourist tour between Ninh Binh - Nam Dinh - Hung Ha (Thai Binh) and Hai Phong, creating conditions for tourists and local people to come to worship and commemorate the great contributions of the Tran Dynasty kings.

The People's Committee of Thai Binh province organized seminars and invited archeological experts as well as researchers to clarify : why Tam Duong land is the land of origin - the founding of the Tran dynasty . Through those seminars, Tam Duong land together with the Tran temple relic complex, Tien Duc commune, Hung Ha district has received the attention and interest of press agencies, media as well as public opinion.

However, the Tran Temple relic complex has only recently really attracted the attention of tourists from all over the world, so in general, the technical infrastructure serving tourism here is still very poor and simple. During the survey on this topic, I would like to give some opinions on the current state of infrastructure and technical infrastructure here as follows.

First of all, the type of accommodation service business : In Tam Duong village, there are only three small accommodation businesses to serve tourists because most of the visitors during the festival are just visitors, not in need of accommodation.

Food service establishments : Most of them are temporary, only serving business activities during the festival, so most of them are in the form of carts, tents, and thatched huts, lacking in aesthetics and food hygiene and safety. During non-festival periods, up to this point, there are only 3 food service establishments, all located about 300-500m from the temple. However, these establishments are small and medium-sized, so groups will have to pre-order meals so that the owner can prepare food and utensils in advance.

Entertainment facilities : In general, entertainment facilities have just sprung up spontaneously during the festival, without any specific planning because the construction items outside the relic complex are still under construction. The public sanitation system has been built in the green area of the temple, cleaner and more convenient for visitors.

Souvenir shops are also in the same situation. They are mainly street vendors, tents, and leaf shops along the road leading to the temple. The goods sold here are mostly worship items such as incense, fruits, votive offerings, candy, etc. In addition, there are also fish cakes and some handicrafts of the local people.

The units and establishments providing tourism services (accommodation, food and beverage, souvenirs, other services, etc.) at the Tran Temple relic site, Tien Duc commune, Hung Ha district are mainly unskilled workers and people living around the temple. During the festival season, they choose a plot of land next to the road leading to the temple, stretch a tarp and set up tables and chairs to provide food and beverage services. After the festival season, they use those tools to sell iced tea, hot tea, candy, incense, flowers and votive offerings. In general, this labor force does not meet the requirements in terms of

quality because their business models develop spontaneously and seasonally.

2.4. Evaluate the positive and negative aspects of exploiting Tran Temple festival for tourism development.

2.4.1. Positive

Since 2000, realizing the importance of the historical relic of the temple and tomb of the Tran kings at Thai Duong Lang. The Provincial Party Committee, the People's Committee of Thai Binh province, the District Party Committee, the People's Committee of Hung Ha district have planned and expanded the relic site with an area of 32.4 hectares. In recent years, with the attention, direction and investment of the Party and the State, the Ministry of Culture - Sports and Tourism, the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People's Committee, the departments and branches of the province have built and renovated the works in the relic site: building and completing the temple of the Tran kings, the Thanh temple, the Mau temple, the festival yard, the sacred axis, the Ngu Thien Mon gate, the Truc hamlet has preserved 3 tombs that are still quite intact: the Da tomb, the Trung tomb, and the But tomb. According to the local people's tradition for many generations, these are the Chieu Lang of King Tran Thai Tong, the Du Lang of King Tran Thanh Tong, and the Duc Lang of King Tran Nhan Tong. The old tomb that has been excavated (currently all excavated artifacts are on display at Thai Binh Museum) is said to be the tomb of Thai To Tran Thua, as the book Kien Van Tieu Luc by Le Quy Don wrote: "Thai Duong commune, Ngu Thien district has four tombs: Thai To, Thai Tong, Thanh Tong, Nhan Tong of Tran dynasty, and also the tombs of four queens".

In recent years, Tran Temple (Hung Ha - Thai Binh) has become a famous spiritual and cultural tourist destination of Thai Binh in general and Hung Ha in particular. Tran Temple Festival takes place at the beginning of the year, from January 13 to 18 is the main festival. This is a big festival for visitors from all over the world to come to Tran Temple, burn incense to commemorate the great contributions of the heroes of the Tran Dynasty who fought off foreign invaders and brought happiness and prosperity to the nation.

This year, the People's Committee of Thai Binh province, the People's Committee of Hung Ha district and local people have focused on restoring the organization of the early spring festival at Tran temple in Tien Duc commune, Hung Ha district, Thai Binh province, commonly known as Tran Thai Binh temple, on a larger scale, of national stature. This year's festival is estimated to welcome 200,000 visitors from near and far to attend the festival. During the festival, authorities at all levels and departments have focused on both the ritual and festival parts. The ritual activities include: the opening ceremony, the worship ceremony, the incense offering ceremony, the tomb worship ceremony; the exchange ceremony between the two villages of Tam Duong (Tien Duc) and Van Dai (Chi Hoa). The festival performances

During the organization process, many traditional activities associated with the Tran Dynasty were restored and perfected, such as: water procession, making fish offerings to the king, banh chung wrapping contest, martial arts contest, kite flying contest, ball wrestling contest, fire-making contest, rice cooking contest... Especially, the custom of exchanging between the two villages of Tam Duong and Van Dai has been preserved and maintained for nearly 700 years (February 15th, elder sister's death anniversary, September 15th, younger brother's death anniversary), younger brother visits older sister, elder sister visits younger brother, organizing friendly activities.

To maintain the successful and safe organization of the festival, exploit and preserve traditional cultural rituals, and preserve the national cultural identity at the Tran Temple Festival in Tien Duc Commune, Hung Ha District, over the past years, the People's Committee of Hung Ha District has developed a detailed plan, established a festival organizing committee headed by the Vice Chairman in charge of the block, leaders of departments, branches in the district, Party committees, authorities, branches of the commune and Tam Duong village participating in the organizing committee, the cultural sector is the person who directly advises and connects the work. All activities of the ceremony and festival are undertaken by the people of Tien Duc commune and villages. Thanks to good preparation, detailed planning, and specific assignment of responsibilities, along with the efforts of all classes of people in the commune and district, the Tran Temple Management Board has successfully organized the Tran Temple Festival in Tien Duc Commune for many years, leaving a good impression on visitors from all directions attending the festival.

As tourism develops, people's lives are also increasingly improved. They have higher incomes from work, have the opportunity to come into contact with many strange things from all over the world, and improve their knowledge. Thus, the development of tourism not only contributes to enriching the locality but also improves the lives of the people, helping them get used to a new way of life. They are aware that tourists are a significant source of income for them, so they have a more civilized and appropriate attitude towards tourists.

Every year, the situation of ripping off tourists often occurs during the festival season at the Tran Temple relic site, but this year the relic management board has issued a unified price for all shops such as: restaurants, souvenir shops... Especially, the ripping off of vehicle owners has decreased because the relic management board has agreed to issue a common price for vehicles, motorbikes 5,000 VND, cars from 4 to 16 seats are 10,000 VND, cars from 16 seats and above are 20,000 VND. Therefore, tourists can rest assured when parking their vehicles without fear of being ripped off.

Security forces have been deployed so begging, soliciting, especially pickpocketing and theft have decreased significantly, bringing satisfaction to tourists participating in the festival.

It can be seen that the Management Board of Tran Temple relic site (Hung Ha - Thai Binh) is making efforts to implement measures to improve the shortcomings that are destroying the inherent beauty of Tran Temple and is gradually racing to develop Tran Temple tourism sustainably according to 4 criteria: economy, culture, society and environment.

2.4.2. Limitations

Like many other festivals, Tran Temple Festival (Hung Ha - Thai Binh) has been revealing many problems that, if not resolved promptly, will lose its meaning and sacredness.

Firstly, the overload situation due to the festival season at Tran Temple (Hung Ha - Thai Binh) has a clear seasonal nature. This is not strange to both those who have been to Tran Temple and those who have never been. On the day of the political festival, there are even more visitors. The overload makes visitors feel tired when they have to jostle each other to worship. When there are too many people, it is inevitable that they will trample on the relics, which will also damage the relics, causing immediate and long-term consequences. This situation is not new to visitors and the relic management board, but so far, no truly effective solution has been found.

Second, the sudden increase in prices of all types of services during the festival season. Here, the most expensive is the food service. This year, the Management Board has strictly controlled the prices of food and drink items, popular eateries with noodle dishes, pho springing up everywhere with prices: 30,000 VND for a bowl of noodle/pho, 8,000 VND for eggs, and all types of drinks are double the usual price. Especially, the increase in parking tickets is double the prescribed ticket of the Management Board of the relic, making tourists very upset. At the main parking lots of the Management Board, there is always a situation of soliciting customers to park their vehicles, making many tourists frustrated. The parking fee is 5,000 VND/vehicle, but when taking the vehicle, many customers still have to pay from 8,000 - 10,000 VND/vehicle. If customers have any questions, the staff will "explain": helmets, raincoats,... who will look after them". With this "pickpocketing" method, the customer had to quickly take the money to pay...

Third, the situation of soliciting tourists and begging, although managed by the authorities, still occurs frequently during the festival season. Tourists feel uncomfortable with the solicitation of tourists.

local. This causes a loss of sympathy for tourists and also spoils the beauty of the festival.

Fourth, the amount of waste is large because of the large number of people and the low awareness of tourists. Tourists litter in the wrong places. Garbage everywhere spoils the beauty and pollutes the environment as well as affects people's lives.

Toilets are also a problem that needs to be solved immediately. Visitors are extremely uncomfortable when entering public toilets that are dirty and smelly.

Fifth, Tran Temple Relic Site (Hung Ha - Thai Binh) is a relic site with a long history, but the staff and tour guides only have one or two people, not enough to meet the needs of explaining and guiding visitors during the festival season.

Chapter 2 Summary.

In Chapter 2, the author has outlined the Tran Temple and the characteristics of the Tran Temple Festival. At the same time, the author has analyzed the current situation of exploiting the Tran Temple Festival for tourism development.

Through that, the author has assessed the positive and negative aspects in the organization and exploitation of this festival. This will be the basis for proposing solutions in chapter 3.

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