Ministry of Finance concerned about Yen Tu Pagoda's donation report

The Ministry of Finance raised suspicions that relics were not counting enough donations when Yen Tu - which welcomes 2 million visitors each year - collected 4 billion while Ba Vang Pagoda "did not report".

On July 21, the Ministry of Finance reported to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai the results of the pilot inspection of donation management at historical and cultural relics and pagodas in Quang Ninh in 2022. The inspection team included representatives of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Government Committee for Religious Affairs under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

By the end of April, Quang Ninh had 450 historical and cultural relics. Among the 5 special national relic sites in Quang Ninh, Yen Tu historical relic and scenic spot is a famous spot, welcoming over 2 million visitors each year, and reported that in 2022, it collected 3.7 billion VND in donations.

According to the inspection team, the reported revenue at Yen Tu is only equivalent to the Bach Dang Historical Relic Site (3.3 billion VND), lower than at the Thanh Mau Temple or the provincial relic in Tra Co Ward, Mong Cai and less than 20% of the revenue at Cua Ong Temple (20 billion).

"This inevitably raises concerns about the objectivity in receiving and counting donation money at Yen Tu," said the document from the Ministry of Finance.

Buddhists perform rituals in front of Dong Pagoda, Yen Tu at the Yen Tu Spring Festival in early 2023. Photo: Giang Huy

According to the Ministry of Finance, most relics with monks in charge only report revenue from money in donation boxes. Meanwhile, some donations in the form of offerings and transfers, which according to people's assessment are higher than the money put in the donation box, are not mentioned.

As in Yen Tu, according to data from the Yen Tu National Monument and Forest Management Board, from 2007 to April 2023, the total revenue from donation boxes was 287 billion VND, much lower than the total expenditure of 638 billion VND.

The total revenue of relics in Quang Ninh in 2022 was nearly 71 billion VND, excluding donations, in-kind sponsorship, and construction works, only 40-60% of 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic. In the first 4 months of this year, the total revenue was 61 billion VND, almost equal to the revenue of the whole year of 2022. The total expenditure was more than 29 billion VND.

Some relics had revenue in the first 4 months of the year of over 1 billion VND, such as Cua Ong - Cap Tien Temple (nearly 20 billion VND, accounting for over 30% of the total at relics in Quang Ninh province).

However, the Ministry of Finance said that it had only compiled reports from less than half of the sites that needed to be inspected. After excluding sites without merit, there were still over 50 sites "without revenue and expenditure reports, including Ba Vang Pagoda in Uong Bi". This is a provincial-level site, assessed to have good revenue.

More than 50,000 people flocked to Ba Vang Pagoda on the morning of the 8th day of Tet this year to celebrate the festival. Photo: Ba Vang Pagoda

Based on the actual revenue of 4 months of 61 billion VND, plus incomplete reporting, the Ministry of Finance estimates that the total donation at relics in Quang Ninh in 2023 is expected to be over 180 billion VND.

Reality in Quang Ninh shows that people have a great need to donate and sponsor relics and society. However, up to now, there has been no overall assessment report on this activity nationwide. Therefore, according to the Ministry of Finance, a comprehensive inspection of the management of donation money at relics and pagodas nationwide is necessary to fully assess this activity.

Currently, the country has over 54,000 relics, and organizes about 9,000 types of festivals each year.

Quynh Trang

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