Ho Chi Minh City kicked off a two-week festival on Sunday evening to welcome the coming Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, which will begin on February 1.

The third annual event, entitled ‘Tet Viet’ (Vietnamese Tet), opened at the Youth Culture House in District 1 under the joint organization of the cultural house, the municipal Department of Tourism, and the Vietnam Food and Culture Association.

The 14-day long event, in both physical and virtual form, will last until January 30, which is Lunar New Year’s Eve.

The event came as the city has basically put the COVID-19 pandemic under control and recently become an area at low risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Vietnam reopened the national economy in early October 2021 following months of social distancing due to the health crisis.

The festival features plenty of activities including folk games, artisans’ performances at craft villages, the art of making ‘to he’ (toy figurines), calligraphy writing, traditional Tet foods and beverages, and a ‘floating-market-in-the-air’ model, among others.

Visitors can rent ‘ao dai’ (Vietnamese long dress) for adults and children from an area at the festival so that they can wear them for two hours for photos.

Festival-goers will be provided with information about tourism stimulus programs in 2022 and regional tourism routes, and have the opportunity to receive gifts.

As part of the festival, a Tet Shopping Fair on 2D and 3D online platforms is taking place with the participation of dozens of local businesses and those from over 20 localities nationwide to introduce their special Tet products.

A Tet culinary performance program will take place from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on January 18, 20, 22, 24, and January 27, which is conducted by artisans and professional chefs from the Saigon Professional Chefs Association, the Vietnam Culinary Conservation Research and Development Center, and others.

Hoang Lan, a festival-goer on Sunday evening, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the city’s having kept the pandemic at bay has helped her family for the first time enjoy festive activities in such a public place after months of staying home. 

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