Thousands of people in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi began visitingthe annual spring flower festival that opened on Jan.26.
A Spring Flower and Drinks Fair which opened in Hanoi will see somelast-minute politicking for the selection of Vietnam 's nationalflower.
The fair will also feature a photoexhibition by HCM City-based photographer Tran Bich dedicated to thelotus, a leading candidate for designation as the national flower.
Bich is dedicated to photographing the lotus, and his images capturethe many shapes of the lotus, from bud to faded flower.
Orchids, peach and ochna blossoms are also in contention for the title of national flower, however.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will gather votes on thenational flower, national costume and national wine during the festival,and the national flower will be announced on Jan.28 at the VietnamLotus Spirit Gala.
At the Lotus Spirit Gala,artisans from Hanoi , Hue and HCM City will create crafts andartworks celebrating the lotus, including lotus lanterns and sculptureand silk lotus.
"We have used many materials tocelebrate the lotus," said Hanoi-based artist Nguyen Manh Hung. "Sinceit's not the season of the lotus in the north now, we have receivedfresh lotus from the southern province of Dong Thap ."
The competition to select the national costume hasn't gone as smoothly.
"The ao dai is already the national costume for women, but it'sdifficult to choose the national costume for men," said Vi Kien Thanh,chief of the ministry's art, photography and exhibitions department.
Meanwhile, the selection of a national wine plan is still in thesurvey stage, Thanh said. Over the past three years, the Ministry ofCulture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and theVietmam Alcohol, Beer and Beverage Association have nominated ruou can(wine drunk from a jar), rice wine, coconut wine and apricot wine forthe honour.
The Spring Flowers and Drinks Festival will continue through Jan.30 at the Culture and Art Centre at 2 Hoa Lu street .
The fair will exhibit and offer prizes for wines and spirits made byboth traditional and modern methods, offer opportunities to samplewines, tea and coffee, and will feature performances, folk games, an aodai (traditional long dress) fashion show, and calligraphy exhibition,as well as recreate customs such as the Kitchen Gods Festival. At least50 enterprises will also display products for Tet, including decorationsand ornamental trees.
Ha Giang province will takethe spotlight, recreating a provincial market day with localspecialities, cuisine and festivities of the province's ethnic people,including pan-pipe dance and folk duets.
Theweek-long event, which will last until February 1, a day ahead of theLunar New Year, displays the beauty of Vietnamese flora in Phu My HungResidential Area, HCM City .
This festivalhopes to attract around 500 booths, displaying all kinds of flowers,plants, birds, fish, ceramics and calligraphy.
Thisyear's flower festival in HCM City is expected to attractthousands visitors with a rich assortment of blossoms.
The Phu My Hung Spring Flower Festival 2011 features a contest ofspecial Vietnamese flowers and ornamental trees, called Hoa Dong Co Noi(Flower of Countryside).
Nguyen Thien Tich, vicechairman of the municipal Association of Orchids and Ornamental Trees,said, "It's a chance for everyone to explore the abundant flora in thecountry."
The country has more than 12,000 flowers and other kinds of plants.
Along with the contests, the week-long festival will include otheractivities such as a ceremony to release flowers and garlands, andfloating lanterns on Ban Nguyet Lake .
The lake will be decorated with giant lotus flowers, which will be lit for photo opportunities.
Different festival areas include Cat Square with flowers arrangedin the shapes of cats, the ochna, apricot and peach blossom section, 12animal designations of the lunar calendar and the legend about the man,Mai An Tiem, who discovered the watermelon.
There will be music shows at the festival every night until the evening of February 1.
The festival, co-organised by Phu My Hung Joint Venture Company andHCM City Ornamental Creature Association, expects to attract more than500 enterprises displaying flowers, fruit and Tet (Lunar New Year)products.
Last year, more than 500,000 visitors visited the flower festival held in the residential area.
The majority of these products were produced in the city and outlying areas.
Also on Jan.26, 30 flower markets opened around the city to welcomecity dwellers shopping to decorate their houses during the New Year'sdays.
Flower exhibitions will be held at major parkslike Gia Dinh, Le Van Tam and September 23. Ochna, kumquat and daisyare among the most popular.
In District 8, flowerscarried by boats from the Mekong Delta are being displayed along thecanal at Ben Binh Dong. The market recalls the hectic trading activityof Sai Gon 100 years ago.
Around 25 flower markets in districts 5, 6, 10, 11, Go Vap, Tan Phu, Thu Duc, Binh Tan and Cu Chi have opened./.
A Spring Flower and Drinks Fair which opened in Hanoi will see somelast-minute politicking for the selection of Vietnam 's nationalflower.
The fair will also feature a photoexhibition by HCM City-based photographer Tran Bich dedicated to thelotus, a leading candidate for designation as the national flower.
Bich is dedicated to photographing the lotus, and his images capturethe many shapes of the lotus, from bud to faded flower.
Orchids, peach and ochna blossoms are also in contention for the title of national flower, however.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will gather votes on thenational flower, national costume and national wine during the festival,and the national flower will be announced on Jan.28 at the VietnamLotus Spirit Gala.
At the Lotus Spirit Gala,artisans from Hanoi , Hue and HCM City will create crafts andartworks celebrating the lotus, including lotus lanterns and sculptureand silk lotus.
"We have used many materials tocelebrate the lotus," said Hanoi-based artist Nguyen Manh Hung. "Sinceit's not the season of the lotus in the north now, we have receivedfresh lotus from the southern province of Dong Thap ."
The competition to select the national costume hasn't gone as smoothly.
"The ao dai is already the national costume for women, but it'sdifficult to choose the national costume for men," said Vi Kien Thanh,chief of the ministry's art, photography and exhibitions department.
Meanwhile, the selection of a national wine plan is still in thesurvey stage, Thanh said. Over the past three years, the Ministry ofCulture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and theVietmam Alcohol, Beer and Beverage Association have nominated ruou can(wine drunk from a jar), rice wine, coconut wine and apricot wine forthe honour.
The Spring Flowers and Drinks Festival will continue through Jan.30 at the Culture and Art Centre at 2 Hoa Lu street .
The fair will exhibit and offer prizes for wines and spirits made byboth traditional and modern methods, offer opportunities to samplewines, tea and coffee, and will feature performances, folk games, an aodai (traditional long dress) fashion show, and calligraphy exhibition,as well as recreate customs such as the Kitchen Gods Festival. At least50 enterprises will also display products for Tet, including decorationsand ornamental trees.
Ha Giang province will takethe spotlight, recreating a provincial market day with localspecialities, cuisine and festivities of the province's ethnic people,including pan-pipe dance and folk duets.
Theweek-long event, which will last until February 1, a day ahead of theLunar New Year, displays the beauty of Vietnamese flora in Phu My HungResidential Area, HCM City .
This festivalhopes to attract around 500 booths, displaying all kinds of flowers,plants, birds, fish, ceramics and calligraphy.
Thisyear's flower festival in HCM City is expected to attractthousands visitors with a rich assortment of blossoms.
The Phu My Hung Spring Flower Festival 2011 features a contest ofspecial Vietnamese flowers and ornamental trees, called Hoa Dong Co Noi(Flower of Countryside).
Nguyen Thien Tich, vicechairman of the municipal Association of Orchids and Ornamental Trees,said, "It's a chance for everyone to explore the abundant flora in thecountry."
The country has more than 12,000 flowers and other kinds of plants.
Along with the contests, the week-long festival will include otheractivities such as a ceremony to release flowers and garlands, andfloating lanterns on Ban Nguyet Lake .
The lake will be decorated with giant lotus flowers, which will be lit for photo opportunities.
Different festival areas include Cat Square with flowers arrangedin the shapes of cats, the ochna, apricot and peach blossom section, 12animal designations of the lunar calendar and the legend about the man,Mai An Tiem, who discovered the watermelon.
There will be music shows at the festival every night until the evening of February 1.
The festival, co-organised by Phu My Hung Joint Venture Company andHCM City Ornamental Creature Association, expects to attract more than500 enterprises displaying flowers, fruit and Tet (Lunar New Year)products.
Last year, more than 500,000 visitors visited the flower festival held in the residential area.
The majority of these products were produced in the city and outlying areas.
Also on Jan.26, 30 flower markets opened around the city to welcomecity dwellers shopping to decorate their houses during the New Year'sdays.
Flower exhibitions will be held at major parkslike Gia Dinh, Le Van Tam and September 23. Ochna, kumquat and daisyare among the most popular.
In District 8, flowerscarried by boats from the Mekong Delta are being displayed along thecanal at Ben Binh Dong. The market recalls the hectic trading activityof Sai Gon 100 years ago.
Around 25 flower markets in districts 5, 6, 10, 11, Go Vap, Tan Phu, Thu Duc, Binh Tan and Cu Chi have opened./.
