A grand ceremony was held at Bai Dinh Pagoda in the northern provinceof Ninh Binh on January 23 to pray for world peace and the country’sprosperity.

The ceremony saw the participation of thousands of Buddhist monks, nuns and followers and tourists.

Theevent is held on the sidelines of a ceremony to receive the UNESCO’scertification honoring Trang An tourism complex as a world cultural andnatural heritage site.

The ceremony aims tohighlight the nation’s valuable traditions while encouraging Buddhistfollowers and the public to do their best for a better society.

Covering an area of over 6,000 hectares, the Trang An complexconsists of the Hoa Lu ancient citadel, Trang An-Tam Coc-Bich Dongnatural scenic site, and the Hoa Lu primeval forest. The complex isoften called Vietnam's Ha Long Bay on land.

The picturesque landscape of Trang An is a harmonic combination ofmountains, valleys and lakes with numerous caves inside stunninglimestone karst mountain ranges.

Moreover, it is surrounded by primary forests with a wide variety of flora and fauna systems.

The area is a cradle of civilisation of ancient Vietnam, and is alsohome to the ancient capital of Hoa Lu, more than 1,000 years ago. Thesite boasts 47 historical relics.

Bai Dinh Temple is a complex of Buddist temples on Bai Dinh Mountain inGia Vien district, Ninh Binh province. The compound consists of theoriginal and a newly created temple. It is considered the largestcomplex of Buddhist temples in Vietnam and has become a popular site ofBuddhist pilgrimages from across Vietnam.-VNA