The administration in Da Lat City, located in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, said on Monday that it had fined a company VND90 million (US$3,534) for installing a pair of dragon mascots which were displayed on Nguyen Hue Flower Street in Ho Chi Minh City during the 2024 Lunar New Year holiday, or Tet, in Da Lat without a permit and asked the company to dismantle the mascots within 10 days.

The fine was levied on Indochina Railway Investment and Trading JSC, which erected the dragon mascots at 1 Quang Trung Street in Da Lat without obtaining a license.

The pair of winding dragon mascots, spanning over 100 meters with their heads measuring over two meters each in diameter, was a highlight of Nguyen Hue Flower Street, an annual event in Ho Chi Minh City during the Tet holiday.

The pair of dragon mascots are erected in Da Lat City. Photo: M.V. / Tuoi Tre

They were removed from the street on April 3 after over two months of showcase and were transported to Da Lat.

The transport process needed 17 trucks.

Hoang Thi Luyen, director of Indochina Railway Investment and Trading JSC, said the Ho Chi Minh City administration presented the dragon mascots to the company due to the company’s significant contributions to the city’s COVID-19 pandemic fight.

The winding dragon mascots spanning over 100 meters were a highlight of Nguyen Hue Flower Street in Ho Chi Minh City during the 2024 Tet holiday. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre

The company installed the mascots on its land, supposing that they were temporary pieces of work as they were mainly crafted from bamboo and rattan. Therefore, the company did not report the installation to the Da Lat authorities, Luyen explained.

She admitted her company’s wrongdoings, but expected the city to provide instructions and create conditions so that her company could display the dragon mascots.

The bodies of the two dragon mascots will be reused during the Tet holiday next year in Da Lat, Luyen added.

Up to 90 percent of the materials used for the dragon mascots is bamboo and rattan. Photo: M.V. / Tuoi Tre

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