The first ladies visit Hàng Lược flower market. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Đức

HÀ NỘI — President Võ Văn Thưởng’s spouse Phan Thị Thanh Tâm guided Mme. Louise Araneta Marcos, the spouse of visiting Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr, in a tour around the Hà Nội Old Quarter and Hàng Lược Street, the venue of one of the oldest and typical flower markets in the capital city for the coming Tết (Lunar New Year) festival.

The two took a walk through streets and explored the Old Quarter and popular flowers during Tết. The host briefed the guest on cherry blossoms, a traditional kind of flower that is present in the houses of Vietnamese people in the north during Tết.

The first ladies enjoying tea and learning about the lotus tea culture of Việt Nam. —  VNA/VNS Photo

Hàng Lược Flower Market has formed part of the unique culture of residents in the Hà Nội Old Quarter as well as the capital city. The market convenes only once in a year, spanning from the 15th day to the last day of the last lunar month.

The two ladies explore Việt Nam's culture through the exhibits at Phùng Hưng Pedestrian Street in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo

The two ladies then visited stalls selling Tết products where they were introduced to the traditional craft of making incense, as well as the types of the products used in each traditional Vietnamese holiday and Tết. After enjoying tea, they got pieces of calligraphy featuring Vietnamese words of "Phúc An" and "Hoà An", which mean “Luck and Peace” and “Harmony and Peace,” respectively.

Both Vietnamese and Philippine people celebrate Lunar New Year. — VNS