Visitors in áo dài (Vietnamese traditional dress) take photos amid the mai (ochna) garden at the Vietnamese Tết Festival at the HCM City’s Youth Cultural House. —  VNA/VNS Photo by Thu Hương

HCM CITY – HCM City's annual Vietnamese Tết (Lunar New Year) Festival offers unique cultural activities to residents, locals and international tourists.

The festival at the Youth Cultural House welcomes visitors with a huge gate of 5,000 red-painted bamboo trees, representing the Vietnamese people’s resilience and the nation’s aspirations for advancement in this new era.

As usual, hundreds of yellow apricot trees are arranged inside the cultural house and along Phạm Ngọc Thạch Street to create the best photo backdrop.

The festival also sets up cultural spaces to honour traditional crafts, including Lái Thiêu pottery in Bình Dương Province, Định Yên mat weaving in Đồng Tháp Province, and Mỹ An bamboo weaving in An Giang Province.

This year’s calligraphy market attracts more than 50 calligraphers, who are members of calligraphy clubs from the city and neighbouring provinces.

The calligraphers, dressed in áo dài (Vietnamese traditional dress), receive requests from visitors for words to write on red paper, paper fans or red lucky money envelopes in hopes of achieving happiness, success, wealth and health in the new year.

Tò he (toy figures made from rice dough) artisans offer visitors different figures from the twelve zodiac animals to favourite cartoon characters. VNA/VNS Photo by Thu Hương

Visitors can also request tò he (toy figures made from rice dough) artisans to make different figures from the twelve zodiac animals to favourite cartoon characters.

Phạm Trần Gia Hân, a student of the HCM City University of Economics, said, “I visit the festival every year with my family and friends to participate in Tết activities. I have a chance to learn more about traditional Tết customs in different regions of Việt Nam.”

Nguyễn Hồng Phúc, director of the cultural house, said, “In the past 18 years, the Vietnamese Tết festival has been a popular destination for visitors before and during the Tết holiday. The festival offers a cultural space with a nostalgic atmosphere where family and friends can gather and have fun during the transition period between the old year and the new lunar year.”

He added, “The event is also one of the city’s unique cultural activities when spring comes. It provides an opportunity to promote the city’s culture, lifestyle, and people to local and international visitors.”

This year, the festival also offers several performances of traditional art such as ca trù (ceremonial singing), nhã nhạc (Vietnamese court music), tài tử music, and Kylin – Lion – Dragon dance every night.

The festival remains open until February 2, or the fifth day of Lunar New Year, at 4 Phạm Ngọc Thạch Street in District 1. — VNS

The festival offers the Kylin – Lion – Dragon dance to entertain visitors. File photo courtesy of Youth Cultural House