The Yen Stream near Tro Port was full of boats taking pilgrims to the pagoda in My Duc District.
Around 5,000 boats were arranged for pilgrims. The management of the Huong Son Site, of which the pagoda is a part, said the site is open for tourists from Saturday last week and around 150,000 have arrived since.
Nguyen Ba Hien, head of the management, said: "Electronic tickets are the new feature at this year's festival. 10 gates have been installed for the electronic tickets. The system scanned the tickets' QR codes, and it worked smoothly on the first day. There were no sign of fake tickets."
At 9 a.m., the opening ceremony was held. The festival, Vietnam's biggest spring festival, would last until April 23.
In 2021 and 2022, due to impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, there was no opening ceremony.
Crowds at the festival.
Tickets to visit the Huong Pagoda, including insurance, cost VND80,000 ($3.41) for adults, and VND40,000 for children. The boat ride to and from costs VND35,000-50,000.
People line up to board a cable car. A return trip on the telpherage costs VND220,000.
On Friday the Huong Son Site received around 40,000 people, according to the festival organizers.
The Huong Tich cave is packed with people. Police officers and militia are stationed to maintain order during the festival.
Buddhists pray inside the cave.
Nguyen Van Lam from Bac Ninh Province said: "Before the pandemic came my family would come for the opening day of the Huong Pagoda Festival every year. We come to sightsee and pray for luck."
