The Tay Nguyen Central Highlands resort city of Da Lat will explode in a riot of colour when its Flower Festival begins on December 10.
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| Burgeoning blossoms: School children explore Da Lat’s famed flower festival |
The Tay Nguyen Central Highlands resort city of
Huynh Duc Hoa, chairman of the Da Lat People’s Committee, said the festival would celebrate the diversity of the city’s horticulture. "It’s also a great opportunity for Da Lat to attract investors’ interest."
The packed, nine-day programme includes street parades, musical performances, workshops, a flower trade fair and exhibits.
In the near future, the city is hoped to become a major flower export centre, Hoa said.
Nearly VND10 billion (US$600,000) was spent by the city on the festival, which is expected to attract more than 60,000 visitors.
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A major event will be a flower expo displaying a wide variety of Da Lat’s flowers.
Aside from the floral displays on streets and squares, tourists can explore the city’s beauty by touring flower gardens and large flower export farms, like Hasfarm and Bonefan.
The Love Festival, the first of its kind in the country, will also be taking place during the week, on December 14.
Nguyen Trong Hoang, director of the Lam Dong Tourism and Trade Department, said this would be the first time the festival would feature prayers for love and peace.
Activities will include a formal ceremony in which 1,000 pigeons will be set free and 2,000 candles will be lit.
Participating in the ceremony will be 100 young couples, who will be married during the Love Festival, and 50 married couples, both Vietnamese and foreign. The city will offer the couples one night free at a local hotel.
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The Lam Dong Tourism Company, the Lam Dong Tourism Association and other travel companies will also offer special tours during the festival.
Hoang said about 5,000 rooms in hotels and guesthouses will be available, 700 of which meet international standards. City residents will also offer 1,000 rooms in their houses to visitors.
To attract tourists, organisers have worked with Viet Nam Airlines to increase more flights to Da Lat and reduce the price of tickets, Hoang said.
(Source: VNS)
