VOV.VN - Local resident and foreign visitors are eager to discover major customs of Vietnamese people during the lunar New Year (Tet) Festival which is getting underway in Ho Chi Minh City.
The January 18-21 event aims to help festival goers gain a greater understanding about the traditional cultural value of Tet, and at the same time to promote the uniqueness and diversity of culinary culture to international friends.
The festival, jointly held by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade and the Vietnam Cuisine Culture Association, features both traditional and contemporary art programmes, along with many national Tet rituals.
On display across more than 150 booths are various Vietnamese products and specialties of localities nationwide.
Many tourists attentively watch artisans wrap and cook banh chung (square glutinous rice cake), an indispensable dish during the Tet holiday.
A highlight of the festival is a calligraphy market where calligraphers, dressed in ao dai (Vietnamese traditional long dress), sell calligraphy in black and yellow ink on red paper.
Visitors also have the chance to play a number of traditional folk games, including walking on stilts, tug of war, blindfolded clay pot breaking, and mandarin square capturing.
A booth of To He (toy figurine) draws the attention of foreign visitors.
The festival remains open until January 21 and is expected to attract more than 80,000 domestic and foreign visitors.
Từ khóa: Lunar New Year , Lunar New Year Festival ,Ho Chi Minh City,cultural value,culinary culture,Vietnamese products,banh chung