Nguyen Hue flower street in HCMC to introduce new concept

Saigontourist Group has announced new concepts for Nguyen Hue flower street in Ho Chi Minh City for the upcoming celebration of the Year of the Dragon.

According to the organizing board, the 2024 flower street is themed ‘Spring of Love – Tet Reunion’. The installation of different mascots and scenes formally began from January 21 and will last to February 7, 2024.

Following this theme, the street will showcase a captivating entrance with a pair of winding dragon sculptures spanning over 100 metres with head circumferences exceeding two metres each, the largest size for a zodiac animal ever displayed at the annual event.

Notably, the two dragons will be crafted from eco-friendly materials, mostly bamboo and rattan.

Representing characteristics from Vietnam’s Ly (1009-1225), Tran (1225-1400), and Nguyen (1802-1945) dynasties, three other dragon mascots arranged along the flower street will boast unique features, such as an upward-facing head, a large nose, bulging eyes, a mouth holding a pearl, and a substantial mane.

For the first time, Nguyen Hue flower street will introduce nine artificial golden trees, crafted for many months by artisans from Mai Vang Rong Viet JSC.

With heights ranging from 1 m to 3.6 m, these trees bring about good wishes for a prosperous year to come via their meaningful names like Mai Dai Phuc (Great Bliss Yellow Apricot Tree), Mai Rong Viet (Vietnamese Dragon Yellow Apricot Tree), Dao Truong Xuan (Immortality Peach Blossoms), and Dao Phuoc Loc (Bliss and Fortune Peach Blossoms.)

Visitors to the street can experience the Augmented Reality (AR) technology at the three locations of ‘Luong Long’ (Two Dragons) Entrance, ‘Thuyen Hoa Xuan’ (Spring Flower Boat), and ‘Nhat Dai Thang Long’ (the Greatest Thang Long) Exit.

The grand finale – ‘Greatest Thang Long’ – will span over 1,000 square metres and medium-size arrangements like a 1,000-square-metre lotus pond, ‘Nine Dragon Doors,’ ’Spring Festival,’ and ‘Glass Cloud’ will add to the immersive experience.

After the flower show, the three dragon mascots and the two 30 cm long golden trees will be auctioned for charity.

The flower street is designed to combine a vibrant palette of red, orange, and yellow from over 90,000 baskets of 99 flower varieties including carnations, geraniums, dahlias, begonias, and more.

The flower street will open from 7 p.m. on February 7 to 9 p.m. on February 14, 2024.

In other news, the annual Phu My Hung Spring Flower Festival this year will take place from the 24th day of the Lunar December to the 4th day of the Lunar New Year (February 3 - February 13, 2024) at the Crescent Lake area in Phu My Hung New City Center in District 7 of HCMC.

Themed "Gathering in Spring", the flower festival features Vietnamese culture during the traditional Lunar New Year, beginning on February this year. It represents the wish for togetherness and reunion when the New Year comes.

In the Vietnamese concepts, the Lunar New Year is a time for family gatherings and warmth. Around the tray of five fruits, green sticky rice cakes and red parallel sentences, families come together to recall past stories, and share joy and aspirations for a prosperous and peaceful new year.

At the festival, the flower arrangement depicts the image of many fairies and legends.

Sacred symbols of Vietnamese culture that have lasted for thousands of years are also honoured at the Spring Flower Festival this year.

In addition to the flower street, which implements the theme of "Gathering in Spring", the festival this year will also include a flower market, opening from February 2-9.

The market will have about 145 stalls selling flowers and ornamental plants from gardens in HCMC and neigbouring provinces such as Ben Tre and Đong Thap.

This market serves residents of the Phu My Hung urban area and people in the southern neighbourhoods of the city.

Aiming to spread beautiful moments and images of visitors to the festival over the years, the organizing committee has launched the "Moments of Phu My Hung Spring Flower Festival" photo contest.

The contest takes place on the Phu My Hung Today’s fanpage from February 3 to February 16.

Contestants are encouraged to showcase their participation in various festivals and photos capturing the highlights of the year on their personal profiles in public mode, with the hashtag #khoanhkhachoihoaxuanPMH, and then submit the link to their entries by commenting on the contest post on the fanpage.

The organizing committee will select beautiful and suitable photos based on the criteria of the contest to award prizes.

The total value of prizes for the "Moments of Phu My Hung Spring Flower Festival" photo contest is up to VND25 million ($1,000).