An annual book street is poised to be organized in downtown Ho Chi Minh City along with the city’s hallmark flower street in celebration of Tet (Lunar New Year) in February 2015.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism quoted the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Information and Communications as saying that the book street will take place from February 16 to 22, or the 28th day of the 12th month to the 4th day of the new year’s first month in the lunar calendar.

The first day of the Lunar New Year falls on February 19.

The book street, having “Ban Sac Viet-Hao Khi Vietnam” (Vietnamese Identity-Vietnamese Spirit) as its theme, will take place on a section of District 1’s Ham Nghi Street which spans from the Ho Tung Mau-Ham Nghi intersection to Ton Duc Thang Street.

The opening is set to be held at a venue in front of the Bitexco Financial Tower at 7:00 pm on February 16.

The book street will feature sections of e-books, children’s books, books for the visually impaired and rare, critically acclaimed tomes.

One of the key sections will showcase photos, archives, maps and other historical evidence as well as the latest materials on Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagoes.

Meanwhile, the city’s iconic Tet Flower Street will be relocated to Ham Nghi Street from its usual downtown venue, Nguyen Hue Street, the local authorities announced at a meeting in November.

The flower street will span from the section adjacent to Quach Thi Trang Park to the Ho Tung Mau-Ham Nghi intersection.

It will be open to the public at 7:00 pm on February 16 and close at 10:00 pm on February 22 – or from the 28th day of the final lunar month to the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, just like the book street.

Representatives of local tour operator Saigontourist, which organizes the flower street, said that this year’s exhibition will also have an area dedicated maritime decorations as a way to reiterate the country’s sovereignty over its seas and islands.

On display will also be intricate works of fruit and vegetable sculpture and souvenirs.

Several stalls offering refreshments will be erected along Ham Nghi Street sidewalks and in front of hotels and restaurants on District 1’s Nguyen Hue, Huynh Thuc Khang and Ho Tung Mau Streets to cater to festival goers, the organizer said. 

A part of Ham Nghi Street from around Quach Thi Trang Park to Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street will be turned into a pedestrian area with a string of captivating art performances, on the closing night of the flower street – February 22.

The Ho Chi Minh City Tet Flower Street, also known as Nguyen Hue Flower Street, has been held annually since 2004.

The street has grown into one of the city’s fixtures during Tet – the Southeast Asian country’s largest traditional holiday – and receives millions of tourists, including foreigners, each year.

This year, the city authorities plan to install two LED screens on Ham Nghi Street to show images of the event during its past 10 years and promote other springtime festivals.

Office workers are expected to have holidays of four and nine days in celebration of the forthcoming New Year and Tet, respectively.

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