Foreign tourists excitedly "check in" together with residents at the Spring Festival precinct

These days, the residents, tourists, and Hue people far from home return to celebrate Tet. They flock to the Giap Thin (Dragon) Spring Festival to visit, admire, and take souvenir shots together with the dragon mascot, and contemplate the eye-catching-shaped flowers and ornamental plants.

Ms. Minh Trang, a resident of Phong Binh Commune (Phong Dien), said, “Reaching the city these days, I witness the vibrant and brilliant atmosphere, especially the space on the south bank of the Perfume River with the highlight of the Spring Festival and the colorful city center streets with thousands of flower pots, various types of bonsai, ornamental plants, artistic stones... Here, I have got the beautiful shots, witnessed the upcoming Tet atmosphere, and merged into the flow of people walking on the streets on the last days of the year."

With the theme "Essence of Heaven and Earth - Transformation for Breakthrough", the Dragon Spring Festival takes place from February 3 - 14, 2024 (from December 24, Year of Cat to January 5, Year of Dragon) at the south bank of the Perfume River.

Within the framework of the spring festival, people will merge into a space with flowers, ornamental rocks, rockeries, calligraphy carved on wood, trees beautifully curved by artisans, and 8 ornamental creature associations in the city and 65 artisans joining in the exhibition and competition.

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According to Vice Chairman of Hue City People's Committee Truong Dinh Hanh, in preparation for the 2024 Spring Festival, Vietnam August Star Joint Stock Company (AGS) creatively designed the entire exhibition space on a large scale. Accordingly, there are more than 342,000 flower plants of all sorts in the parks and green spots and 160 flower baskets on the main streets of the city. A "Flower Park" is specially arranged in a large space, stretching along the Perfume River with a focus on spots such as the park space along Le Loi Street, Da Vien Islet, Thuong Bac Park...

Ly Tu Trong Park is the center of the Spring Festival space. Aside from the arrangement of artistic flower carpets, and flower trains, the model symbolic of the Year of Dragon is the tableau recreating a dragon boat racing on the Perfume River, the model of two dragons flanking the moon represents the development of the country and province. In combination with shaping hundreds of blooming flowers, the dragon shape with the sense of bringing peace in the early new year or the dragon imagery ahead of the Provincial People's Committee shaped with the posture of flying into the sky represents a year of development and breakthrough.

To ensure security, order, and traffic safety during the Spring Festival and other Tet celebration activities, the city directs Hue City Department of Public Security to implement the plan to ensure security, and traffic order at the locations where the activities take place.

The units need to coordinate to arrange parking lots and implement the plans to ensure pandemic prevention in the new situation. Also, the units need to carry out the plan to ensure environmental sanitation at the locations during the Dragon Spring Festival activities; and enhance street lighting systems and decorative street lights to create a lively atmosphere during Tet holidays.

Story and photos: THANH HUONG