The floating flower fair, one of the Ho Chi Minh City’s most-visited attractions in Tet (Lunar New Year holiday), will open at Binh Dong Wharf in District 8 from January 25 to February 9 (or December 15-30 of the lunar calendar).
The Tren Ben Duoi Thuyen (On the Wharf – In the Boat) fair aims to create a cultural space and a tourism destination for local and foreign visitors during Tet holiday.
It also introduces special kinds of flowers and fruits of the southern region and Vietnam.
The fair will include stalls and boats displaying various kinds of flowers and fruit from the Mekong Delta provinces such as Long An, Vinh Long and Dong Thap, and the Central Highlands town of Da Lat.
Florists from the city and Da Lat will create miniature landscapes arranged with flowers at the event for visitors to have beautiful photos. Colorful floating lanterns will be set up as well.
Vinh Long, which is known for having the most famous and largest brick and pottery villages in the Mekong Delta, will showcase its wide variety of terracotta products.
The organizer will also create a zone where ong do (calligraphy artisans) can offer calligraphy works for visitors in the hope of having a prosperous and happy new year.
In addition, the festival will include performances of tai tu music on boats along Tau Hu canal, unicorn-lion-dragon dances, and an ao dai (Vietnamese traditional dress) fashion show from February 4-8.
Visitors will also have an opportunity to learn how to make to he (toy figurines that are made of rice dough), and traditional dishes for Tet such as banh tet (cylindrical glutinous rice cake) and mut Tet (candied fruits) at the event.
The floating flower market at Dinh Dong Wharf is a familiar destination for city residents during Tet. It attracts sellers from provinces of Long An, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Vinh Long and Dong Thap who sell fruit and flowers to local people to prepare for the most important holiday in Vietnam.
The Floating Flower Fair is recognized as one of HCMC’s 19 annual signature festivities.