The 3-km road running from the Trinh Temple to Ba Chua Kho (Queen of the Stock) Temple is lined with parking lots, offerings, porter services and worshipping. Many people believe the more spent on the offerings, the more luck they will receive, acting as another spur for exorbitant services.
Despite parking prices publicised at VND2,000 per motorbike at the temple, ticket prices have risen 10 fold.
Services to prepare offerings, sell votive paper and worship have attracted a lot of people. Trays of offerings vary, depending on the owners’ objectives such as praying for money, high-rise buildings or cars. The tray prices range from hundreds of VND to millions of dong.
The organising board has warned visitors not to hire people for worship, but many still pay fees of millions of VND for this service in a hope that sorcerers can persuade Ba Chua Kho to bring them money.
The crowded atmosphere also creates a good opportunity for thieves. Tourists can lose purses, mobile phones and even offering trays.
Ba Chua Kho, also called Linh Tu Quoc Che, was born into a poor family in Bac Ninh Province. She then married into the Ly Dynasty. She was very good at promoting agricultural development, land reclamation and logistics. When she died, people set up the temple to worship her. The temple was recognised as a national historic relic on January 21, 1989.
The bustling atmosphere at Ba Chua Kho Temple after Tet:
Expensive offering trays
Traffic jams on the way to the temple
Parking prices sharply increase
Thousands of people come to the temple to pray for luck and wealth
Trying to escape the crowds
Diverse offerings
Increase in service prices