Lights, flowers and decoration fill the streets around the capital asHanoians count down the days to the Lunar New Year of the Snake.
Streets around Hoan Kiem Lake are a collage of reds, pinks andyellows as workers put the finishing touches to the ornamental trees andflower pots that line the pavements.
The newly created smallgardens and Chuc Mung Nam Moi (Happy New Year) flower displays are amust-see for people of all ages and make a good photo opportunity. Therecent warm and sunny weather adds to the exciting festive atmosphere.
Even the huge amount of traffic congestion can’t spoil the party mood.
Hanoi is ready to celebrate the most important festival of the year, which will last from February 10 to 17 this year.
“We have adorned 56 streets around Hanoi with lights, flags,flowers and banners to celebrate the Lunar New Year 2013,” says TranTrong Hieu, head of the municipal Construction Department’s EnvironmentSection.
“ Ba Dinh Square and the area around President Ho ChiMinh Mausoleum, where culture and art performances will take place,have also been decorated with lights, flowers and ornamental plants.”
People have flooded the streets to make last minute purchases. Theirlong shopping lists include traditional food, snacks, drinks, gifts,plants, decorations, cleaning equipment and smart clothes.
Markets are well-stocked with Buddha statues, bananas, mangoes, pommels,kumquats, and dragon fruit. These goods are required to build up atraditional mam ngu qua (five-fruit tray), which is an indispensableitem on the ancestral altar of every Vietnamese family.
This offering during Tet symbolises the respect and gratitude of the Vietnamese to their ancestors and Heaven and Earth.
Once everything else has been bought, it is time to take a relaxingwalk through the city’s flower markets and pick out some beautifuldecorations for the house.
Ornamental kumquat and peach trees are also indispensable for decorating the house during Tet in Hanoi .
The flower market in Hang Luoc Street which usually opens from5am-9pm, pulls in crowds to the already busy Old Quarter. Around thecorner, Hang Ma Street sells decorative stuff and envelopes for“lucky money”, while Hang Duong and Hang Buom are crowded with shopsselling sweets and treats.
The result is chaotic scenes of traffic, crowds and noise, which show that Tet is here at last.-VNA
Streets around Hoan Kiem Lake are a collage of reds, pinks andyellows as workers put the finishing touches to the ornamental trees andflower pots that line the pavements.
The newly created smallgardens and Chuc Mung Nam Moi (Happy New Year) flower displays are amust-see for people of all ages and make a good photo opportunity. Therecent warm and sunny weather adds to the exciting festive atmosphere.
Even the huge amount of traffic congestion can’t spoil the party mood.
Hanoi is ready to celebrate the most important festival of the year, which will last from February 10 to 17 this year.
“We have adorned 56 streets around Hanoi with lights, flags,flowers and banners to celebrate the Lunar New Year 2013,” says TranTrong Hieu, head of the municipal Construction Department’s EnvironmentSection.
“ Ba Dinh Square and the area around President Ho ChiMinh Mausoleum, where culture and art performances will take place,have also been decorated with lights, flowers and ornamental plants.”
People have flooded the streets to make last minute purchases. Theirlong shopping lists include traditional food, snacks, drinks, gifts,plants, decorations, cleaning equipment and smart clothes.
Markets are well-stocked with Buddha statues, bananas, mangoes, pommels,kumquats, and dragon fruit. These goods are required to build up atraditional mam ngu qua (five-fruit tray), which is an indispensableitem on the ancestral altar of every Vietnamese family.
This offering during Tet symbolises the respect and gratitude of the Vietnamese to their ancestors and Heaven and Earth.
Once everything else has been bought, it is time to take a relaxingwalk through the city’s flower markets and pick out some beautifuldecorations for the house.
Ornamental kumquat and peach trees are also indispensable for decorating the house during Tet in Hanoi .
The flower market in Hang Luoc Street which usually opens from5am-9pm, pulls in crowds to the already busy Old Quarter. Around thecorner, Hang Ma Street sells decorative stuff and envelopes for“lucky money”, while Hang Duong and Hang Buom are crowded with shopsselling sweets and treats.
The result is chaotic scenes of traffic, crowds and noise, which show that Tet is here at last.-VNA
