Ho Chi Minh City’s annual Tao Dan Spring Flower Festival is ready to welcome visitors during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday. - VNA/VNS/ANN
HO CHI MINH CITY: Vietnam's southern provinces are celebrating the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday with various cultural festivals.
The annual Tao Dan Spring Flower Festival in Ho Chi Minh City began on Friday night.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Nguyen Van Dung, Vice Chairman of the city People’s Committee, highlighted the festival's cultural significance. He noted that the Tao Dan Spring Flower Festival embodies the city's unique culture and provides a platform for local and international artisans and gardeners to share their expertise.
He added that, along with the Nguyen Hue Flower Street, the festival has become one of the city's signature events each Tet.
The festival, themed “Non Song Gam Hoa – Vui Xuan Thai Hoa” (Flourished Land – Spring of Peace), showcases more than 2,620 indigenous and foreign flowers such as mai (ochna), orchids, and plumeria, as well as bonsai plants, trees, and ornamental fish.
The highlight of the festival is a 6.8-metre-high tower made of 680 pots of yellow moth orchids, symbolising happiness, luck, and prosperity.
The event also features unique trees, including mai (ochna) trees aged 50 years and older, plumeria bonsai aged over ten years, and a collection of wild orchids.
Local artisans and florists have created several miniature landscapes adorned with flowers for visitors to capture beautiful photos.
The organisers have arranged exhibitions showcasing painting, photography, and calligraphy that celebrate spring and the city's lifestyle and development.
The festival also includes musical performances, circus acts, and Kylin–Lion–Dragon dances by famous troupes from the city.
The festival remains open at Tao Dan Park on Nguyen Thị Minh Khai Street in District 1 until February 2, which is the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.
Tay Ninh Province will host its annual Ba Den Mountain Spring Festival on February 1.
Themed “Huong Sac Tay Ninh” (The Beauty of Tay Ninh), the month-long festival will feature a series of festivities and art performances at the Ba Den Mountain Historical, Cultural, and Tourism Relic Site.
The opening ceremony will showcase music and dance performances by famous singers and troupes, including Tung Duong, Phuc Bo, Tieu Minh Phung and the MTV boy band. They will perform songs that celebrate the country and the spirit of spring.
The festival also features Kylin–Lion–Dragon dances, visual arts, and firework displays.
Additionally, performances highlighting the culture and art of the Khmer people have been introduced, including ngu am (five tones) and chhay-dam drum dances.
Ngu am, or Pinpeat, is a traditional Khmer musical ensemble that performs ceremonial music at temples and during Khmer dances.
The chhay-dam drum dance is a unique folk dance of the Khmer people. The chhay-dam drum is made from the hollow trunk of an old areca tree. Performers can play the drums with their hands, elbows, or heels. This dance was recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2014.
The festival will also feature a garden of tulips in various colors—red, yellow, white, pink, and purple—providing beautiful photo opportunities for visitors.
This year, the festival is expected to welcome more than one million visitors. — Vietnam News/ANN
