Intensive preparations, including the decorating of hundreds of trees
with lights, have been made by HCM City to greet Tet (Lunar New Year)
from January 22-25.
Trees lining the streets of Le Loi, Dong Khoi
and Le Duan in the city centre sparkle at night with thousands of
lights. The lights will be on every night until February 3.
From Jan. 20 to Jan. 26, Nguyen Hue Street, the so-called flower street, will be closed to traffic.
The
street will be decorated with special flowers and trees selected from
many regions in the country, including Hanoi peach blossom branches, Sa
Dec's daisies and kumquat trees, HCM City's ochna flower trees and Da
Lat roses.
A 15-minute fireworks display will be set off on the
eve of Tet at six spots in the city, including District 2's Thu Thiem
Ward and District 11's Dam Sen Park.
Next week, special musical
programmes to herald the arrival of the new year will take place
throughout HCM City, with the major event at September 23 Park in
District 1.
On Tet Eve, outdoor concerts will be organised on Le Duan Street in downtown and at all districts in the city.
The
annual Spring Flower Festival is being held in District 1's Tao Dan
Park till Jan. 28 y, the sixth day of the lunar new year, the Year of
the Dragon.
The festival features more than 7,000 bonsai and orchids, and a large number of pets.
Week-long
flower markets have been held since Jan. 15 at 59 sites in the city,
with the three biggest organised at District 1's September 23 Park,
District 3's Le Van Tam Park and Tan Binh District's Gia Dinh Park. The
markets will close on Jan. 22, the last day of the Year of the Cat.
Thousands
of pots of fresh flowers have arrived from Da Lat and the Mekong Delta
province of Dong Thap to meet customer demand for home decoration.
Imports
such as mainland Chinese peach flowers, orchids from Taiwan, Australia
and New Zealand have added new colours to the local flower markets.
This
year, for the first time, the city opens a flower market along the Tau
Hu Canal in District 8. Sellers transport flowers by boats to the
market, and many sell flowers to customers from their boats.
Competitions
for banh tet, or cylinder glutinous rice cake-making, have been
organised in the city's 24 districts with the participation of hundreds
of young people. The cakes will then be presented to the poor as a Tet
gift./.
