HPA Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Mai Anh shared information with the press (Photo: VGP)

Sharing with reporters, HPA Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Mai Anh said that international tourists love to come to Ha Noi to experience the culture and cuisine here. Thereby, "Happy Tết 2024” will continue with cultural stories.

This year, HPA coordinates with the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center to organise the programme at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - a World heritage site. Here, cultural stories of Tet with the theme "Spreading traditional Tet cultural identity" will be discovered; it is a unique combination of ancient Royal Tet traditions with current Tet culture, creating a pervasive, sacred and lively space.

With a scale of 3,000 - 3,500 sqm, designed and decorated majestically, elaborately and creatively, it introduces traditional Tet holidays, tourist destinations, cultural values, heritage... from the regions across the country.

​The Opening Ceremony will take place from 6.30 p.m to 9.35 p.m on 24th January with incense offering ceremony at the Kinh Thien Palace of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long and art programme.

Happy Tết 2024 includes spaces: "Hometown Train", "The space of old Ha Noi houses", "Central Tet Space", "Southern Tet Space", "Ethnic Colourful Tet Space", "cuisine promotion space" which will be arranged with miniature scenes introducing famous tourist destinations of Ha Noi such as Long Bien Bridge, Dong Xuan Market, Me Linh Flower Market, Tay Ho... In particular, the stalls simulate Pho Phai houses, recreating Ha Noi's Old Quarter at a time when there was bustling trade.

Happy Tết 2024 is also a place to promote and introduce tourism during Tet holiday and return home to celebrate Tet for overseas Vietnamese and international tourists coming to the Capital; is a place to connect trade between domestic and foreign businesses investing in Ha Noi; At the same time, it is a place to promote cultural values, heritage, display products and high-quality consumer goods to serve people during Tet.

The highlight of the series of Tet atmosphere experiences is the image of the Railway Station with a special meaningful trip, bringing people far from home to return and celebrate Tet.

Next, "Old Ha Noi House Space'' will be restored from the heritage house at 87 Ma May. Here, residents and tourists will learn about an ancient Hanoian family preparing a tray of traditional dishes to worship for Tet with relatives gathering to wrap banh chung (chung cake) in the aroma of the rich, heart-warming scent of old coriander water.

"Central Tet space" is described at An Hien Hue garden house with the design of a lotus pond in front of the house built according to ancient feng shui (the practice of arranging pieces in living spaces to create balance with the natural world) garden house architecture and miniature landscapes representing the characteristics of Tet in the Central region.

"Southern Tet Space" recreates the image of a vibrant and bustling Tet holiday on the floating market, bearing the mark of the gardens and rivers of the Southern people.

"Ethnic Colourful Tet Space" tells the story of ethnic people's activities on Tet with rituals, customs, and cuisine creating a colourful Tet picture.

The space for promoting Tet cuisine in Ha Noi and other regions is the soul of the event, because cuisine not only reflects the indigenous culture of each region but also contains the cultural soul of the nation, human concept and sustainable values, unique characteristics of Ha Noi as well as the whole country. Each dish delivered conveys a story about identity, the intersection of life's flavours, highlighting the unique features of Vietnamese Tet culture.

The space promotes Tet cuisine with many impressive points through culinary stories that show the beauty of typical Ha Noi Tet dishes as well as the value of Vietnamese cuisine. From there, domestic and international tourists can feel the precious Vietnamese Tet culinary culture and the beauty of outstanding culinary aftertaste from North to South…

As a companion unit with HPA, Deputy Director of the Thang Long – Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center Nguyen Hong Chi said, every year near Tet, Thang Long – Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center often organises the "Viet Tet" programme to promote the cultural values of ancient Thang Long royal court. In particular, this year, the Center coordinated with HPA to organise the "Happy Tết" programme, promising to bring new colours to tourists in Ha Noi as well as the whole country when visiting and enjoying spring at the heritage site.

To successfully implement the Happy Tết 2024 programme, the Organising Board is urgently preparing from the stage of landscape decoration and display spaces at the heritage site. During the programme, the Organising Board will also introduce to visitors a 3D movie about the New Year's Eve ceremony at Thang Long Palace during the Le Trung Hung period to bring an interesting experience to visitors...", stated Ms. Nguyen Hong Chi.

According to the Organising Board, within the framework of the programme, there will also be a kite heritage space, a show of traditional Tet costumes, and a talk show with the theme "Spring days telling old Tet stories".

​The programme also has many side activities such as photo exhibitions and documents about Tet in the past; art show; activities to experience culture, traditional Tet customs and many traditional folk games such as making To He, painting, smashing pots, throwing shuttlecocks, catching ducks…

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