Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice Chairwoman of District 8 People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Thu Hoa said that the festival is among the 19 annual cultural and art festivals in the city. It aims to create a cultural space for local people and visitors during Tet holiday.
The festival features more than 600 stalls and boats displaying assorted flowers, fruits and ornamental trees from Mekong Delta provinces, including Tien Giang, Dong Thap and Ben Tre.
It also includes a calligraphy space, a space introducing the making of 'banh tet' (cylindrical sticky rice cake), performances of 'don ca tai tu' (southern folk music) and lion dances.
A highlight of the festival is the red terracotta road set up by the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long, which is renowned for its century-old brick and pottery villages.
Festival-goers can also sample specialties such as dragon fruits of Vinh Long province, Lai Vung tangerine and Cao Lanh mango of Dong Thap province, and fresh vegetables from Da Lat city.
