Visitors in áo dài (Vietnamese traditional dress) take photos with a dragon model at the Vietnamese Tết Festival at the Youth Cultural House in HCM City’s District 1. VNS Photo by Phương Mai

Residents and visitors flock to the festival to take beautiful photos with mai (ochna) trees set up along Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai and Phạm Ngọc Thạch streets.

Inside, the cultural house is arranged with a mai forest with a model of two dragons in the middle to create the best backdrop for photos.

Apart from mai trees, walls made of large terracotta vases and firewood, and an ancient house are set up as well to recreate an image of Tết in the past.

Nguyễn Hồng Phúc, director of the cultural house, said: “The festival offers a cultural space with a nostalgic atmosphere where family and friends can gather and have fun during the transition period between the old year and the new lunar year.”

He added: “The event also features the city’s unique cultural activities when spring is coming. It provides an opportunity to promote the city’s culture, lifestyle, and people to local and international visitors.”

A calligrapher at the festival creates a calligraphy work. VNS Photo by Phương Mai

As usual, the festival’s highlight is a calligraphy market, attracting more than 50 calligraphers, who are members of calligraphy clubs in the city and neighbouring provinces.

The calligraphers, dressed in áo dài (Vietnamese traditional dress), include men and women of varying ages selling calligraphy in black and yellow ink on red paper.

They sit on mats and receive requests from visitors for words to write on red paper, paper fans, or red lucky money envelopes.

Visitors can buy little decorations with calligraphy words to decorate their homes in hopes of having happiness, success, wealth, and health in the new year.

Trần Ngọc Quyên, a resident of Thủ Đức City, said, “I visit the festival every year to take beautiful photos with my family and friends. I often buy calligraphy to get luck for the new year.”

This year, the festival also offers several performances of traditional art such as hát bội (classical drama), tài tử music, folk music, bài chòi (a traditional Vietnamese game combining folklore singing and a deck of cards), and Unicorn – Lion – Dragon dance every night.

The festival remains open until February 14, or the fifth day of Lunar New Year, at 4 Phạm Ngọc Thạch Street in District 1. VNS