The Tết festival expected to attract over 80,000 arrivals this year. Photo: vov.vn

HCM CITY A Tết (Lunar New Year) festival will take place in HCM City from January 18-21 with a range of special activities honouring Vietnamese culture and food.

The festival will be held at Lê Văn Tám Park, District 1 

The municipal Department of Tourism and the Vietnam Cuisine Culture Association (VCCA) said that apart from art performances and Tết spaces, the festival will feature more than 100 booths displaying various products.

Festivalgoers will have chances to engage in exchanges with artisans and famous figures.

In addition, they will have the chance to experience a total of 121 Tết typical dishes from the northern, central, and southern regions.

This year, there will be stalls set up to introduce folk games and toys such as to he, which are toy figurines that are made of rice dough, and paper paintings.

Lê Hoàng Phương, the fourth runner-up of Miss Grand International 2023; Lê Nguyễn Ngọc Hằng, the second runner-up of Miss Intercontinental 2023; and Lê Nguyễn Bảo Ngọc, the winner of Miss Intercontinental 2022, will work as ambassadors of the festival.

The festival will be free for domestic and international tourists and is expected to attract over 80,000 arrivals this year.

Lê Thương Hiền Hòa, Deputy Director of the Department of Tourism, said the festival will offer an opportunity for businesses to introduce their products and services, serve as a channel to connect HCM City with other cities and localities, and help promote trade, tourism, and culture in the new period.

VCCA Chairman Nguyễn Quốc Kỳ noted that the event aims to promote the love for culture and national pride among youths, and lure more international tourists to Viet Nam and the southern metropolis in particular.

HCM City continued to lead the nation in terms of the number of visitors and revenue from tourism last year, with nearly 5 million foreign and some 35 million domestic holidaymakers, and a total revenue of over VNĐ160 trillion (US$6.6 billion), according to the tourism department. VNS