A festival featuring fruits and specialties from southern Vietnamese provinces kicked off at Binh Dong Wharf in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday.

Themed ‘Tren ben duoi thuyen’ (At the wharf, on the boat), the first Fruit Week is organized by the People’s Committee in District 8 from May 28 to June 4.

The event features about 120 stalls selling a variety of fruits, namely durian, mangosteen, avocado, jackfruit, coconut, and pineapple among others, and traditional cakes originating from localities in southern Vietnam.

Visitors can also watch the lion dance, take photos with ao ba ba (traditional shirts of southern Vietnamese people), witness how the traditional cakes are cooked and wrapped, and try various drinks and food made from fruits.

There are also several stalls offering to he (edible toy statuettes), shaped balloons, and portrait drawing.

A bird’s-eye view of the ‘Tren ben duoi thuyen’ Fruit Week at Binh Dong Wharf in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City, May 28, 2022. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre

“This is a meaningful event and a great destination for people to have fun and shop for products following the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Nguyen Thi Mo, who resides in District 8.

Huynh Thanh Hung, one of the merchant at the fest, said he had spent 12 hours carrying fruits with his boat from his hometown in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long to Binh Dong Wharf.

“The purpose of this trip is not only to promote the specialty fruits of my hometown, but also to recreate the trading scene of our ancestors in the old days,” Hung elaborated.

Jackfruits are sold at the ‘Tren ben duoi thuyen’ Fruit Week in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City, May 28, 2022. Photo: N.Tri / Tuoi Tre

The Fruit Week is designed to stimulate consumption as well as create a shopping and entertainment destination for residents in District 8 and Ho Chi Minh City in general, an official from the district administration said at the opening ceremony.

Local authorities also plan to organize the event in the following years and turn it into a large-scaled traditional fruit festival, the official added.

A merchant holds a pomelo at his stall at the ‘Tren ben duoi thuyen’ Fruit Week in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City, May 28, 2022. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre

Traditional cakes are sold at the ‘Tren ben duoi thuyen’ Fruit Week in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City, May 28, 2022. Photo: N.Tri / Tuoi Tre

Traditional cakes are sold at the ‘Tren ben duoi thuyen’ Fruit Week in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City, May 28, 2022. Photo: N.Tri / Tuoi Tre

Traditional cakes are sold at the ‘Tren ben duoi thuyen’ Fruit Week in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City, May 28, 2022. Photo: N.Tri / Tuoi Tre

Children watch how to he (edible toy statuettes) are made at the ‘Tren ben duoi thuyen’ Fruit Week in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City, May 28, 2022. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre

A piece of art made from various types of fruits is displayed at the ‘Tren ben duoi thuyen’ Fruit Week in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City, May 28, 2022. Photo: N.Tri / Tuoi Tre

Young people wear traditional ao ba ba at the ‘Tren ben duoi thuyen’ Fruit Week in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City, May 28, 2022. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre

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