VietNamNet Bridge - The annual lunar New Year flower festival will be held at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tao Dan Park from January 20 to 31 next year.

Nguyen Hue city Flower Street Festival will be held from January 23 to 28.

More than 4,000 items will be on display at the festival, including ornamental plants, bonsais, rock-gardens, dried trees, grafting stones, cacti, ornamental fish and rare flowers from around the country.

There will also be exhibitions of Vietnamese calligraphy, music shows, folk games, performances of southern folk music, dragon dances, tea drinking, and human chess.

Elsewhere in the city Tet will be celebrated with flower markets at Gia Dinh Park in Go Vap District, Le Van Tam and 23/9 (September 23) Parks in District 1, Phu My Hung new urban area in District 7, and Dam Sen and Suoi Tien amusement parks in Districts 10 and 9 from January 18 onwards, and decorative street lighting on main streets like Le Duan, Nguyen Hue, Le Loi, and Dong Khoi.

The Nguyen Hue Flower Street from January 23 to 28 and giant Banh Tet (glutinous new-year’s rice cakes) festival will be among the most anticipated activities.

But the highlight will be the fireworks displays at six places at midnight on New Year Eve on January 25.

The chairman of city People’s Committee, Le Hoang Quan, has called for “Safety, saving, jubilation and health.” This means concerned agencies will have to look after revolutionary heroes, retired officials, disadvantaged people, and workers in the city and Government agencies are prohibited from using public funds for gifts or parties.

(Source: SGGP)