HÀ NỘI — In preparation for the upcoming Tết (Lunar New Year) festival, a flower and a pedestrian street has been set up in the west of the capital city. So far, hundreds of people, including many foreigners, have visited the area.

Located in the Mailand Hanoi City-Splendora Residence Area in Hà Nội’s suburban district of Hoài Đức, the spring flower street was opened to the public on Saturday, to welcome the upcoming Lunar Year of the Tiger.

As well as a place for Hà Nội residents to enjoy the spring ambience with thousands of beautiful and exotic flowers, the street also promotes the cultural values of city.

With the theme ‘The Glorious Journey of Vietnamese Tết’, the street's main theme is an old and glorious Hà Nội, full of vitality and creativity to usher in new optimism about the future.

Among the key features of the flower street is a model of a train, passing by blooming flower carpets.

People can also enjoy several cultural activities such as making chưng and dày (square and round sticky rice) cakes, writing calligraphy, creating dough toy figurines, printing wood-carving Đông Hồ painting and making palm-leaf conical hats. 

A new pedestrian street named Pont de Long Biên has also been inaugurated in the area.  

Aiming to revive the ambience of the old Hà Nội, the pedestrian street has been enhanced by images of stone arches, French-styled houses and traditional-decorated booths offering traditional products.

The opening of both flower street and the pedestrian street was organised by the Phú Long Corporation under the Sovico Group, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hà Nội’s Department of Culture and Sports, UNESCO and UN-Habitat, aiming to make it an annual event that offers a creative and cultural space.

Deputy head of Hà Nội’s Department of Culture and Sports Trần Thị Vân Anh said that the streets are among Sovico Group’s activities to implement commitments and initiatives to join UNESCO's network of creative cities in the 2021-25 period.

“The streets also help to form a new cultural space in the city’s West area,” she said.

The flower street and the pedestrian street are open daily to the public until February 6, from 9am to 9pm.

Spring fair offers products from nationwide

Thousands of products, including agricultural items, local specialities, handicrafts and gift products are introduced at the Spring Fair 2022 which was kicked off on Saturday.

The event features 50 booths selling products from 20 provinces and cities across the country.

All products have clear and reputable origins and geographical indication (GI) certification, meeting food safety standards such as VietGAP and Global GAP.

Flowers, ornamental plants and goods served during Tết are also available at the fair.

Đào Văn Hồ, director of the Centre for Agricultural Trade Promotion of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the fair aims to promote trading of agricultural products as well as to stimulate the goods consumption, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fair takes place at 489 Hoàng Quốc Việt Road, Cầu Giấy District, until January 29. — VNS