HANOI, Feb 14 (dpa): The Lunar New Year customs bring a feast of sights, smells and traditional foliage to the Vietnamese capital, turning Hanoi into a moving forest of branch-adorned motorbikes.
Just before Lunar New Year, traffic in the Vietnamese capital is transformed into a moving forest of kumquat trees and peach blossom branches as motorcyclists bring the traditional ornaments into their homes to mark Tet otherwise known as the Lunar New Year throughout the world.
Street sellers flog these festive plants, which sell from between five and 100 dollars, depending on the size. And in a nation of 96 million, where motorbikes remain the dominant form of transport, there's often only one way to bring the plants home
As a result, Vietnam's roads are transformed into corridors for migrating trees, with deep orange kumquat fruit bobbing on stems as vehicles pass.
Known as Tet in Vietnam, the Lunar New Year, which began on Friday, is the nation's most important festival. The event sees families come together to feast, drink, and share li xi (lucky money) with kids.
In a tradition comparable to the use of evergreen conifers as Christmas trees in Europe, Vietnamese place kumquat trees inside their homes during Tet, and hang red li xi envelopes on their branches as gifts for children.
Families display kumquat trees prominently in their homes, with those bearing large amounts of the ripe orange fruit considered particularly auspicious. The more fruit on the tree, the luckier and wealthier your family will be in the coming lunar year.
In northern Vietnam, peach blossom branches are popular during Tet, while apricot blossom takes centre stage in the south.
In Hanoi, rosy-pink peach blossom marks the beginning of spring and is said to bring good fortune to families. According to Vietnamese folk legends, a branch of these popular Tet flowers can also help ward off evil spirits.
Lam Luong, a lecturer on communications in Hanoi, said that seeing peach blossom or kumquat trees sold on the streets is a sign that Tet is around the corner.
"I like peach blossoms because of the beauty of their slender petals and their pink or red colours," Lam said. "They look fragile, but also strong, as they can survive the winter and come into bloom in the spring."
However, due to the increased human traffic in the city during the festival season, Vietnam is experiencing increasing number of Covid-19 cases again.
Vietnam recorded 53 new cases of Covid-19 infection on Saturday, including four imported and 49 locally transmitted, according to its Ministry of Health.
The new infections brought the total confirmed cases in the country to 2,195 with 35 deaths as of 6pm local time Saturday, said the ministry.
Among the domestically transmitted cases, 47 were detected in the northern Hai Duong province, the country's largest Covid-19 hotspot at the moment, and two in the southern Ho Chi Minh City.
As many as 1,531 patients have been given the all-clear, the ministry said, adding that nearly 129,100 people are being quarantined and monitored.
The latest wave of Covid-19 infections hit Vietnam on Jan. 28, with 604 community cases so far confirmed in 13 cities and provinces, according to the ministry. - dpa
