HÀ NỘI — Colourful lanterns created by South Korean artisans will be for the first time during a festival held in Hà Nội.

The Giant Lantern Festival will light up Gamuda City, a residential area in Hoàng Mai District, 7km from the city’s centre from December 3 to January 22.

The festival has taken place in many countries worldwide. Now it comes to Hà Nội, bringing numerous activities and performances by Vietnamese and South Korean artists.

Forty giant lanterns - 10m-30m high - will be divided into different zones, and the light and music system will be arranged by Korean specialists.

The Peace zone -- with lanterns depicting beauty spots and architecture of Việt Nam and South Korea -- praises the value of peace. The Love zone -- with lovely and romantic scenes created by pink heart-shaped lanterns -- will be suitable for couples. The Hope zone will promote Korean culture and send messages for the 2018 Winter Olympics. The Kids zone will have lanterns embodying Pokemon and animated characters.

50,000sq.m will be used for displaying the lanterns; booths selling goods, souvenirs and food; Vietnamese-Korean culture exchange area; kids’ games area; and stages for entertainment activities.

"The event takes place on the occasion of year-end holiday and Christmas Day, so it will be a rendezvous for people to visit, take photos and go shopping," said Dennis Ng, vice-director of Gamuda Land Company, the co-organiser of the event.

“South Korean artisans came to Việt Nam early this month to prepare for the festival. We expect that the festival will draw 30,000-50,000 visitors.”

Tickets which are ranged from VNĐ50,000-80,000 are available at the gate or can be bought in advance at ticketbox.vn . — VNS