Thien Hau Lady Temple festival is a cultural event of Chinese Vietnamese people in Binh Duong province. To know more about preparations for the festival 2012, Binh Duong Newspaper had an interview with Nguyen Thanh Tai, chairman of Thu Dau Mot town People’s Committee cum head of the steering board of the festival.
How are preparations for the festival launched?
In this year, Thu Dau Mot town People’s Committee has set up the steering committee and sub-committees of the festival to ensure success for the festival. In addition, the steering board has cooperated with sectors to arrange parking lots properly in a bid to minimize traffic accidents and traffic jams.
What new features will have in the festival 2012, sir?
In 2012, the festival’s programs will have no changes compared to the previous years. However, most of people’s life has been improved, so their demands on culture and belief have been focused. Therefore, the number of pilgrims will be more crowded compared with the previous years. In addition, this year’s 13th and 14th of the first lunar month fall on Saturday and Sunday, so the number of pilgrims will increase sharply.
What measures will be launched to ensure food safety and order security at the festival?
In terms of order security, the town Public Security has launched concrete measures to ensure traffic safety and to prevent crimes and social evils… In addition, the town People’s Committee has steered the town division of Culture and Information to eliminate illegal disc trading and superstition and so on.
Meanwhile, the local Health Division in cooperation with relevant units has supervised food business and processing workshops as well as installed first aid facilities at high peak areas.
Besides, the town authority has steered functional agencies to find out and solve violations on environmental hygiene, order security and so on.
What advice do you have for pilgrims and tourists in the festival?
Overall, order security, food safety and hygiene and environmental hygiene… will be strengthened sharply. However, problems will perhaps appear, owing to the huge number of pilgrims and tourists to festival. Therefore, pilgrims and tourists should protect property and health by themselves.
With thorough preparations plus tourists’ consciousness, I believe that this year’s Thien Hau Lady Temple festival will take place safely and successfully.
Thanks a lot!
Reported by T.Ly – Translated by A.C
