Ho Chi Minh City: Many Activities to Welcome the Lunar New Year of the Dragon 2024

DNHN - At the Reunification Hall, with the theme “Ho Chi Minh City - Continuing the Glorious Epic”, President Vo Van Thuong will deliver a New Year’s speech to all overseas Vietnamese and beat the drum to open the Spring Festival this year.

What are the highlights of the cultural, artistic, event, and festival activities during the Lunar New Year this year?

On the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2024, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese in coordination with the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee will organise the Homeland Spring programme in the city named after Uncle Ho with the theme “Ho Chi Minh City - Continuing the Glorious Epic”. The programme will take place from February 1 to February 2, 2024 (corresponding to the 22nd and 23rd of the twelfth lunar month of the Year of the Cat) with many rich and meaningful contents.

Within the framework of the Homeland Spring 2024 programme, President Vo Van Thuong and his wife will preside over some meaningful activities with overseas Vietnamese nationwide: the ceremony of offering flowers and incense to President Ho Chi Minh, President Ton Duc Thang; the traditional ritual of releasing carp on the Kitchen God’s Day. Notably, in the art exchange programme Homeland Spring with the theme “Ho Chi Minh City - Continuing the Glorious Epic” at the Reunification Hall, President Vo Van Thuong will deliver a New Year’s speech to all overseas Vietnamese and beat the drum to open the Spring Festival.

In addition, the annual activities that the City plans to organise on the occasion of the Lunar New Year to serve the people include the exhibition “Celebrating the Year of the Dragon - Celebrating the Glorious Party”; the Spring Flower Festival and Tet Flower Market; the Tet Flower Market with the distinctive mark “On the wharf, under the boat”; Banh Tet Festival, the ceremony of offering banh tet to the Hung Kings and Lord Nguyen Huu Canh; Book Street Festival; Nguyen Hue Flower Street; Artistic fireworks display programme;…

How are the activities in the downtown area organised?

To ensure security as well as safety for people when participating in entertainment activities during the Lunar New Year, the City has requested departments, agencies, branches; the Fatherland Front and socio-political organisations of the City; District People’s Committees; units organising festivals and events in Ho Chi Minh City to strictly apply Decision No. 2330/QD-UBND dated June 7, 2023 on the Regulation on coordinating the organisation of festivals, cultural and sports events gathering a large number of people in Ho Chi Minh City.

Currently, on Le Loi and Nguyen Hue streets, there are very few parking lots, which is not enough to meet the needs of people when participating in the festival. Therefore, people will have to park their vehicles at private parking lots, which can easily lead to many inconveniences. Recognising this situation, before organising the programme (especially in the central area of District 1 - Nguyen Hue Street), the Organising Committee has proposed to the District 1 Cultural Information Centre to open more parking lots to serve the people (such as Tax Trade Centre,…) or in further areas such as Ho Chi Minh City Museum, City General Science Library,…

In addition, for the work of keeping public places clean, before organising the program, the Organising Committee always broadcasts a reminder for people to raise their awareness of maintaining public hygiene and requires them to dispose of garbage in the right place. At the same time, it is suggested that the District 1 Public Service and the Parks and Trees Department provide enough trash cans, and organise a force to collect and compress garbage quickly to ensure that the trash cans serve the people.

Usually, a festival will have 02 mobile toilets (06 compartments) on standby in the organising area. At the same time, the Organising Committee also mobilises restaurants around the organising area to open for free service to the people.

Activities in some districts, towns, and Thu Duc City

To serve the local people, on the evening of February 9, 2024 (corresponding to December 30 of the Lunar calendar) and the evening of February 10, 2024 (corresponding to the first day of the Lunar New Year), it is expected to organise in turn the art programmes “Celebrating the Year of the Dragon - Celebrating the Glorious Party” in Thu Duc City and districts such as Hoc Mon, Can Gio, Cu Chi, District 12, Tan Phu, Binh Tan, Binh Chanh, Nha Be,…

In addition, priority will also be given to organising performances at Tran Huu Trang Reform Opera House, City Culture Centre, Youth Culture House, universities, colleges, vocational colleges, dormitories, industrial parks, export processing zones, etc.

Fireworks display locations

High-altitude fireworks display at 2 locations: Thu Thiem (Thu Duc City) and Ben Duoc (Cu Chi). Low-altitude fireworks display at 6 locations: Ben Noc Relic Commemoration Temple (Thu Duc City), Dam Sen Park (District 11), Rung Sac Square (Can Gio), Lang Le Bau Co Relic Site (Binh Chanh), Culture Park (Go Vap), and Nga Ba Giong Historical Relic Site (Hoc Mon).

Compared to 2023, in 2024, the City has added 01 high-altitude fireworks display location in Cu Chi and 02 low-altitude fireworks display locations in Go Vap and Hoc Mon.

Illuminated streets on the occasion of the Year of the Dragon

Currently, the Department of Culture and Sports is submitting a request for comments from the City People’s Committee on the locations for lighting on the occasion of the Lunar New Year in the City, specifically on 07 streets in District 1, including Nguyen Hue, Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Le Duan, Le Loi, Dong Khoi, Ton Duc Thang, Pham Ngoc Thach and in 05 Districts: Binh Thanh District, Binh Tan District, District 6, District 4, District 11.

Book Streets in the City

On this occasion, there will be 03 book streets at the following locations: Tet Book Street Festival on Le Loi Street (This book street is only organised on the occasion of the Lunar New Year every year), Thu Duc City Book Street (on Ho Thi Tu Street, Hiep Phu Ward, Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City), Nguyen Van Binh Book Street (on Nguyen Van Binh Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City).

Uyen Nhi