Special flower tour at History Museum

Hanoi (VNA) - Flower lovers are in for a treat at an 'oasis' in downtown Hanoi.

The National Museum of Vietnamese History and Hanoitourist offer a special daily tour to admire kapok blossom inside the museum’s grounds.

Phung Quang Thang, Director of Hanoitourist, said tour companies are busy preparing tourism products to be ready for receiving guests now borders are opening.

“The plan for such a tour has been discussed by the company and the museum for a long time as a fresh tourism product, which is special in Hanoi for visitors,” he said.

Every March, the Museum building, which is of Indochina style, is brightened up with kapok blossom.

“The tour titled 'Bac Co -- Kapok Flower Season' and the existing walking tour are two typical tours in the capital,” he said. Bac Co was short, former Vietnamese name of the museum.

The new tour is sold at 50 percent reduction price in March, costing just 25,000 VND (1 USD) per child under 12, and 75,000 VND per adult.

The tour is available with guides between 8.30-10.30am and 1.30-3.30pm every day and last between 60 and 90 minutes.

“Visitors will not only admire the beauty of the flower, take photos but also understand folk culture of the north rural area through folk games, by the old kapok tree,” he said.

Visitors will also have a chance to understand various national treasures preserved at the museum like Ngoc Lu drum, Van Ban Pagoda’s bell, stone stale from Tu Ky Pagoda and an ancient stone bridge.

Kapok trees are in full bloom in March for few weeks only. The flowers with five large bright red petals are mostly seen in the north of the country.

Big old kapok trees, ancient water wells and communal houses are common features of the northern rural villages.

The flowers stay beautiful for a few weeks before falling when summer comes. Then the young buds of leaves will appear on bare branches./.