Farmers in Sa Đéc city plant around 100 hectares of various flowers and ornamental plants for this year’s Tết season. —VNA/VNS Photo Nhựt An

ĐỒNG THÁP — The annual Sa Đéc Spring Flower Festival opened in Sa Đéc city in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Đồng Tháp on Tuesday evening.

The event themed “Sa Đéc – Where the four seasons bloom” features a variety of cultural and arts activities and showcases flowers, ornamental plants, and local specialties.

Held annually since 2012 by the Sa Đéc City People’s Committee, the festival has become a prestigious cultural and trade event on the occasion of Tết (Lunar New Year holiday), said Võ Thị Bình, deputy chairman of the committee.

The event bolsters the image of Sa Đéc as a “City of Flowers” and boosts tourism, she said.

The Sa Đéc flower village, which is famous for growing flowers and ornamental plants in the delta, attracts nearly one million visitors a year, including more than 2,000 international tourists.

Currently, Sa Đéc City has an area of ​​about 978 hectares for growing flowers and ornamental plants. It plans to expand the area to 1,000 hectares in the future.

The value of ornamental flower production was estimated at VNĐ3.3 trillion (US$129.8 million) last year, accounting for 79 per cent of the city’s agricultural production value.

The city strives to develop tourism into a spearhead economic sector and develop many unique tourism products.

The city will focus on developing high-quality flowers, ornamental plants and sustainable urban agricultural models as well as diversify events and festivals to attract domestic and foreign tourists, she added.

Farmers in the city planted around 100 hectares of various flowers and ornamental plants for Tết season.

The festival will run until January 21. — VNS