Hanoi (VNA)💝 – Hanoi’s first-ever lotus festival, held from July 12-16 and participated by more than 50,000 visitors, was a great success, opening high prospects for the capital city to build a unique cultural and tourism brand.

Organised at the Cultural and Creative Space in Tay Ho district, the festival, which introduced OCOP (One Commune-One Product) products in association with the culture of northern mountainous localities, featured various culture, art, and trade activities. Following an impressive opening ceremony was a diversity of activities, including an exhibition showcasing lotus-inspired art works, a photo contest, and a cycling event around Ho Tay (West Lake) that drew 7,000 cyclists. Along Trinh Cong Son pedestrian street in Tay Ho district, many ornamental lotus pots with different species blooming were arranged, affirming Hanoi’s lotus brand and spotlighting the delicate hands of Hanoi lotus artisans. The exhibition space introducing OCOP products of different northern localities and hundreds of kinds of lotus-based products became a highlight of the festival. It featured more than 100 booths from 33 provinces and cities that showcased over 1,000 products under their One Commune One Product programmes. Many artisans, including Nguyen Cao Son and Luu Thi Hien, were also present to introduce the unique art of making and enjoying lotus tea of Hanoi people. According to Hien, Tay Ho lotus tea is one of the specialties of Hanoi. Scented with Bac Diep lotus grown in some areas of the West Lake, Tay Ho lotus tea is handcrafted meticulously and delicately from the choosing ingredients to scenting, she said. Most artisans who make Tay Ho lotus scented tea do not use modern technology to make it but still keep the manual method passed down from their ancestors, the artisan added. The five-day festival was a success, leaving deep impressions among visitors. According to the People’s Committee of Tay Ho district, the event saw a transaction value of 11 billion VND (433,523 USD), including more than 6 billion VND of direct sales. Le Ba Dung, a visitor from Hoang Mai district of Hanoi, expressed his strong impression after enjoying Tay Ho lotus tea and talking to famous Hanoi tea artisans. Meanwhile, Nguyen Thu Huong, a resident of Tay Ho district, said that she is fascinated by many entertainment activities at the festival. Currently, Hanoi has 600 hectares of lotus, mostly in Tay Ho, My Duc, Me Linh, and Thach That districts, providing great spaces for photo lovers, and materials for the production of handicraft and food products from lotus. Many products under the One Commune – One Product (OCOP) programme have been developed from lotus, including silk scarf, Quang An tea, Me Linh tea, sausage, steamed sticky rice, longan sweet soup, jam, and milk, which have been exported to many countries around the world. Vice Chairwoman of the People’s Committee of Tay Ho district Bui Thi Lan Phuong affirmed that after the success of the festival, the district will consider turning it into a regular event carrying the capital city’s tourism brand./.