The Shining Street, one of the five major programs of the Tet Festival 2009 in HCM City commenced on Sunday night. The city’s downtown was lightened up by many colorful lamp systems.

Le Loi Road at night.

The roads of Nguyen Hue city, Le Loi and Dong Khoi will be decorated with special lights from January 18 until February 14. Colorful lights are bunched on various themes to convey the warm and jubilant messages of the Tet Festival 2009.

An eight-metre-high, three-metre-diameter lotus-shaped lamp was built on the roundabout of Nguyen Hue – Le Loi Road. A 0.8×1m yellow-apricot blossom gate stands on Le Loi Road. Dong Khoi Road is illuminated by a system of LED lamps.

The organizing board campaigned offices and people who own houses on these roads to self decorate the front of their houses and offices with lamps.

On January 23, the Nguyen Hue flower street will open. The Banh Tet (cylindrical glutinous rice cake) Festival will be kicked off on January 25. The Door Shows will start on January 31. On the lunar New Year’s Eve, firework shows will be organized at several places in the city.

A special art show will run from 10:00pm to 12:00am of the lunar New Year’s Eve at an outdoor stage on Le Duan Road, in front of the Thong Nhat Palace.

VT