HÀ NỘI — The pink cherry blossoms, mostly Japanese sakura, across the central highland city of Đà Lạt has become a major draw for tourists this week.

A flower festival themed on cherry blossoms will be organised in the city between January 26 and January 28.

The Lâm Đồng Province’s People’s Committee has assigned the management board of Tuyền Lâm Lake Tourism Site and concerned agencies to host the event. All the expenses for the event will be borne by volunteer individuals and enterprises.

The flower park at the lake was planted in 2009 on 100ha, of which the State invested in 25ha of the flower area with trees that were five to six years old. Some 30ha at the site were developed by local tourist enterprises. The Tuyền Lâm Lake now hosts more than 35,700 trees in total.

Around the city, there are more than 3,000 trees, most of which were planted around Xuân Hương Lake; Dalat Maple Tourism Site; and downtown streets of Đống Đa, Ba Tháng Tư, Hồ Tùng Mậu, Lê Đại Hành, Trần Hưng Đạo Street, Phó Đức Chính and Tương Phố.

“During the event, the lake will host water music concerts, nights of gong performances and a photo exhibition by noted local photographer MPK,” Nguyễn Xuân Thành, head of the festival organising board, said. “Tourists can take a cruise around the lake to admire the flowers.”

“This is the first time such a festival is being organised as a dedication to the beautiful flowers this year,” he said. “Though cherry trees on the streets are in full bloom, only 20 per cent of the trees at Tuyền Lâm Lake are in full blossom.”

The flowers are in their full bloom between January and March in spring.

Mai Anh Đào (Prunus Cerasoides) is also in full bloom this time of the year. It has the trunk of Prunus genus, but its flowers have a single layer of five petals, similar to the flowers of Ceranus genus.

According to researcher Nguyễn Hữu Tranh, a former expert from Lâm Đồng Science and Technology Department, Mai Anh Đào is popular in Southeast Asia, at an altitude of more than 1,000m. The trees are often seen on the Himalayan ranges in north India, south China, Myanmar and north of Thailand. — VNS