Traditional Tet favourites like calligraphy markets and flower fairs have begun in HCM City in the week before the lunar New Year.

On Pham Ngoc Thach and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai streets in front of the Labour Cultural House, dozens of young and old calligraphers (ong do) in traditional Vietnamese dress are displaying their calligraphy skills and selling Vietnamese or Chinese calligraphy written in black and yellow ink on red paper.

They are New Year greetings wishing people happiness, wealth or longevity.

A calligraphy market has opened on Pham Ngoc Thach street in front of the HCM City Youth Cultural House in district 1. Fifty artists from the cultural house's calligraphy club and neighbouring provinces will show off skills at the market.

Nguyen Hoang Viet, deputy head of club, said: "This year the ong do sit on mats arranged in an oval shape symbolising peace while behind the stalls are mai (ochna) and dao (peach) trees to lend colour to the streets. Lion and dragon dances will evoke the excitement of spring."

Visitors can buy the calligraphy works at 50,000 – 700,000 VND depending on the craftsmanship, and materials.

Another calligraphy market on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai features nearly 25 artists including members of the Workers Cultural House's Vietnamese Calligraphy Club and students from city universities.

Le Lan, head of the club, said: "Thanks to the good response in the last two years, we decide to organise Ong do street as cultural trait in HCM City during Tet."

Both markets will remain open until February 13.

Flowers bloom
More than 8,000 flowers and ornamental plants and fish will be on display at the city's 29th annual Flower Fair which will open on February 8.

The fair at the Tao Dan Park and Con Rua (Turtle) Lake in district 1 will also feature some endangered and imported plants and ornamental plants that are used as medicinal herbs.

It has attracted artisans from Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, and will go on until February 21.

To welcome the Year of Tiger, the Phu My Hung Corporation and the HCM City Association of Ornamental Fish, Bonsai Trees and Flowers opened an eight-day-long flower fair on Feb. 6 at the Phu My Hung urban area.

Also an annual event, the Spring Flower Fair will feature more than 500 stalls displaying flowers, Tet specialties, and foods.

Themed Con Rong Chau Tien (Descendants of the Dragon and Fairy) this year, it will focus on traditional festivities.

There will be depictions of Vietnamese legends like Lac Long Quan – Au Co (the myth of the origin of the Viet people – the union of Dragon Lord Lac Long Quan and Fairy Mother Au Co), Thanh Giong (Saint Giong), and Mai An Tiem (who first grew watermelon in Vietnam ) and statues of the 12 animals representing the Vietnamese zodiac.

The Phu My Hung flower fair, organised since 2004, attracted more than 240,000 visitors last year.

Tet for everyone
While preparations for the Tet holiday are well-underway, families in less fortunate circumstances throughout the country are benefiting from the seasonal spirit of generosity, ensuring that everyone will enjoy this year's Tet holiday.

Local authorities, State-owned and private enterprises as well as kind-hearted individuals throughout the nation have organised various activities to bring gifts to needy people, underprivileged families and Agent Orange victims.

Leaders from the northern province of Hung Yen have provided 540 million VND (29,245 USD) supporting 4,800 poor families and 500 people, who are receiving free care at social welfare centres in the locality.
Many underprivileged ethnic minority families in remote districts of Minh Hoa, Tuyen Hoa, Quang Trach, Quang Ninh and Le Thuy in the central province of Quang Binh have received 5 billion VND (270,783 USD) worth of gifts.

According to Tran Dinh Van, director of Quang Binh's Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs Department, around 2,000 tonnes of rice from the government stores have been distributed to 70,000 ethnic minority people in remote areas. The provincial authorities have also used local budgets to buy 70 more tonnes of rice to give to needy people.

Da Nang City's Agent Orange Victims Association has given 50 gift-sets to AO victims in the mountainous district of Hoa Vang. Each gift set is worth 200,000 VND. Another 75 gift-sets have been given to members of the local Centre for Protecting Agent Orange Victims and Disadvantaged Children.

As many as 14 AO victims at the centre have received regular support of up to 500,000 VND each.

In the central province of Quang Tri, both 947 families of bereaved heroic mothers' families and 36 living heroic mothers received special gifts for Tet. More than 18,000 war martyr families have also received the same care./.