Spring festival opens at Thang Long Citadel

A spring festival kicked off at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel in Ha Noi on January 29 as part of the activities to celebrate the Lunar New Year (Tet) and the 86th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (February 3, 1930-2016).
The highlight of the event is an exhibition featuring the traditional space of the ancient Lunar New Year festival with commodities, pictures, costumes and worshipping space for Tet as well as the custom of asking “ong do” (scholars) to write calligraphic letters at the year beginning.
Organised by the Thang Long-Ha Noi Heritage Conservation Centre, the festival also includes exhibitions on Vietnamese heritages, flowers and ornamental trees, and new archaeological findings.
It will open to visitors until February 5.
On the occasion, the centre will introduce the traditional customs of Vietnamese during the Lunar New Year. Artists from traditional craft villages have been invited to show off Dong Ho painting and Banh chung (square glutinous rice cake) making skills at the citadel.
Music and puppetry performances will be held alongside an incense offering in commemoration of the country’s founders.