Tet atmosphere is overwhelming everywhere on bustling streets, trade centers, supermarkets and gift, and fashion shops, on delighted faces of locals as well as tourists. To multiply the joy, authorities and heads of entertainment areas will celebrate many animated programs, promising locals and tourists unforgettable meaningful moments of Tet.
In Hanoi
An incense offering and a spring festival is on at the Hoang Thanh Thang Long ancient relic at 12 Nguyen Tri Phuong Street, Hanoi until February 28. Visitors can enjoy painting exhibitions, traditional artistic shows and a pigeon releasing ceremony.
From February 11 until March 10, there will be an antique display at the Exhibition House, 93 Dinh Tien Hoang Street.
On Lunar New Year’s Eve (February 13) there will be a fireworks display at 29 sites in 29 districts of the city together with music and dance shows. At Ngoc Son Temple tourists can have fun with a boat race, circus performance and folk music shows.
A program called Spring Festivities of 1,000-year-old Thang Long-Hanoi organized by the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will take place at Ly Thai To Statue on Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Hanoi on February 20 to present drum and gong performances and folk shows talking about the tiger, the symbol of this year. There will be a sacred incense offering ceremony to commemorate King Ly Thai To and other forefathers and an imposing dragon dance. There will also be a martial arts show by many artists in traditional costumes.
Also on the night of February 20, Ba Kieu Temple will host a music show accompanied with martial arts, circus acts and a fashion show. This program ends the Tet activities.
On Lunar New Year’s Eve, 1,000 balls of fireworks will sparkle over Ngo Mon-Dai Ky Square at the sacred moment of saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the Year of the Tiger. Moreover, 500 balls of fireworks will be shot from the ethnic cultural house in A Luoi District to serve local ethnic minority groups celebrating the holiday.
Hue City
Flower markets on Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, at Thuong Bac and Phu Xuan parks, An Dinh Temple and the Hue Sports Center are featuring many kinds of colorful flowers until this weekend.
The highlight of the activities in Hue City will be the Huyen Tran Temple Festival which will be held at Huyen Tran Cultural Center, 151 Thien Thai Street on February 21 and 22 with many animated and solemn festivities.
Other festivals include Dien Hoa Spring Apricot Flower Market in Phong Dien Town, Vinh My Tet Market in Phu Loc District, Quang Ngan Fair in Quang Dien District, Lang Co Fish Worship Festival in Phu Loc District and Thu Le Village’s Object Festival in Quang Dien District.
On February 14, 15 and 16 all relic sites in the city will be open free of charge.
HCMC
A banh tet making contest begined at Dam Sen Park on February 11 and a banh tet offering ceremony is held at Hung King Temple in District 9 and the Ho Chi Minh Museum on February 12. At Dam Sen Park there will be music and comic drama shows.
Spring 2010 Festival displaying ornamental plants, bonsai trees, orchids, apricot flowers, medicinal plants, artistic fruit trays, tropical flowers and artistic stone is on Tao Dan Park in District 1. Tickets are VND20,000 per person.
Anyone who loves the circus should visit September 23 Park in District 1 to enjoy the professional elephants, crocodiles, monkeys, pigeons, bears, pythons, dogs, cats and goats. Tickets are VND60,000 to VND80,000 per person.
Calligraphy fans should visit HCMC Youth Cultural House in District 1 to contemplate and purchase calligraphy and learn how calligraphers work.
There will be a spring newspaper exhibition until February 20, a chess festival at 7 p.m. on February 16 and a martial arts festival on February 18.