Ho Chi Min City of Vietnam gets ready for ‘Tet’ festival
The Nguyen Hue Flower Street in Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam is all set to welcome the public from February 7 to February 14, spanning the 28th day of the last month to the 5th day of the first month of the lunar calendar.
Welcoming the festival ‘ Tet Nguyen Dan’
This highly anticipated annual flower exhibition, themed “Beloved Spring – Tet Reunion,” will be organized into three distinct sections: Homeland Origin, Crossing Rivers and Seas, and Increasing Integration of Vietnam. These sections are going to display the much-celebrated cultural traditions and the belief system of Vietnam, which the people, especially the southern area, lay much emphasis upon.
In accordance with the Vietnamese Horoscope calendar, 2024 is designated as the Year of the Dragon, symbolizing the sacred animal of Nguyen Hue Flower Street in Ho Chi Min. Consequently, a miniature representation of two colossal dragons holding a pearl, crafted from traditional and environmentally friendly materials, will adorn the floral street, spanning over 100 meters in length.
Highlights of the festival
Stretching along a 600-meter section of Nguyen Hue Street in District 1 of Ho Chi Min City, the flower show will feature miniature scenes and designated areas. Highlights include Uncle Ho’s garden of yellow apricots, a traditional dragon boat race with a 66-meter-long ship, a lotus lake covering an area exceeding 1,000 square meters, representing nine tributaries of the Mekong River, and a captivating display of artful flower arrangements by foreign consulates in Ho Chi Min City.
More than 90,000 baskets with a broad variety of multicolored flowers will be on display during the expo. This sort of spectacular display is celebrated during the Tet holidays annually. It is very special for the local people there and during these times, all the people are busy cleaning their homes and streets. During the festival, people visit marketplaces and saloons to get new haircuts and purchase clothing.
People forget the ‘past’ and welcome the new ‘present’
Much emphasis is laid on the payment of all the outstanding debts so that the festival is greeted with a new vibration in the air and without any negative effect of the past. The homes are decorated with plants, trees and flowers welcoming the new year with all the auspiciousness.
The hustle and bustle is felt all over the place, whether in cities or villages, the feel is the same. The people throng the shops for business and to shop for their favorite products. The essence of the festival necessitates the positiveness which is felt everywhere, notwithstanding how the whole year has passed. The entire focus is on the coming year which is always believed to bring good fortune and happiness everywhere. This festive mood starts to build up many days before the start of the new lunar year i.e., from late January or early February every year.
With over a million people annually, this display has become one of the most popular attractions and is greatly anticipated around the Tet holidays. Now in its 20th year, the celebration seeks to highlight the Vietnamese Tet tradition. It is sponsored by the Ho Chi Min City Government, Saigontourist Holding Company, in collaboration with various agencies and businesses in Ho Chi Min City.
Fireworks are ready to be showcased in the city
Also, getting ready for the New Year’s Eve celebration in downtown Ho Chi Min and to make room for the spectacular fireworks shows, 10 key streets will be off-limits to vehicles. The dazzling displays kick off at midnight in two awesome locations: the Saigon River tunnel in Thu Duc City and the Dam Sen Cultural Park in District 11. Join the countdown excitement on Nguyen Hue walking street in District 1.
Traffic too is streamlined in the city
To keep things smooth and avoid traffic jams, cars won’t be allowed on the Nguyen Hue stretch from 3 p.m. Sunday to 1 a.m. Monday, as well as on various downtown routes from 8 p.m. Sunday to 1 a.m. Monday. Look out for restrictions on streets like Le Loi, Dong Khoi, Ton Duc Thang, Nguyen Tat Thanh, Ham Nghi, Hai Trieu, Ly Tu Trong, Le Thanh Ton, Dong Du, and Mac Thi Buoi. And don’t forget, no vehicles around Me Linh Square and the Ba Son and Khanh Hoi bridges.
