The garden with about 50 trees with fake apricot flowers nearly 3 meters high in the yard of the Youth Cultural House, District 1, attracts many people wearing ao dai to take pictures every day.
From January 24, the campus of Ho Chi Minh City Youth Cultural House and Pham Ngoc Thach street are bustling with Tet atmosphere. The whole area is covered in gold with more than 100 decorative apricot trees. This is part of the activities in the Vietnamese Tet Festival, which has been held annually for the past 18 years.
The highlight is the miniature apricot garden in the yard of the Youth Cultural House, with nearly 50 trees with an average height of 2 – 3 m, in the middle is the image of a dragon – the mascot of this year’s Tet.
At noon on January 26, around the apricot trees were crowded with people taking photos and walking around. Even though they are just fake flowers, the bright yellow color of the flower symbolizing the Southern New Year makes the garden filled with spring colors.
Since the opening day, the miniature landscapes have always been crowded with people coming to visit and take photos from morning to night. Most people wear colorful ao dai, gracefully posing for Tet photos.
Here, visitors can rent ao dai for prices ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 VND. The stalls also sell fake apricot and peach blossoms as photo props.
Do Tu Anh, Tan Phu district, rented an ao dai and brought a headband and fan to pose for photos. “The miniature landscapes in the apricot garden are so bright with spring colors that you can stand at any corner to take beautiful photos,” the 20-year-old girl shared.
Living in Ho Chi Minh City, every year Nguyen Thuy Trang, 20 years old (red shirt) and her friends and family go to the Youth Cultural House to take photos during Tet. “Every year this place is decorated in a different style, the highlight is still the yellow apricot trees,” Trang said.
Ms. Thanh Nguyen, 30 years old, carried her son for a walk in the apricot garden.
Other miniature scenes around the apricot garden recreate the image of the old Tet with three-compartment gates, craft villages, and wood stoves. Materials used are products of traditional craft villages such as conical hats, roof tiles, fired ceramics, firewood, sedge mats, and jars.
At the miniature scene recreating the space of an ancient house, Truong Xuan Quynh Nhu, 18 years old (blue shirt) set up her phone to take photos and videos on the theme of Tet. “I want to create joyful clips during the New Year,” Quynh Nhu said.
A group of friends pose to recreate the scene of gathering around a pot of banh chung on Tet.
Pham Ngoc Thach street next to the Youth Cultural House has also “transformed” into a flower street for many years during the Lunar New Year. About 100 m of the road is decorated with dozens of blooming apricot and peach trees.
Next to the apricot garden is Ong Do Street on the sidewalk of Pham Ngoc Thach Street, after 18 years of organization, and is also a familiar spring vacation destination for people during Tet.
Residents and tourists can also enjoy many art programs such as Boi singing, Southern amateur music, Bai Choi singing, and Lion and Dragon performances. Programs interwoven with shopping and culinary activities take place continuously. Vietnamese Tet Festival takes place until February 14 (5th day of Tet), open from 8 – 10 pm.
($1~24,000 VND)
( According to vnexpress )