Valentine flowers to welcome Year of the Tiger

Two mammoth hearts made of flowers symbolizing love will be among the highlights of the Flower Street Festival in Ho Chi Minh City that will ring in the Lunar New Year.
The first day of the coming Year of the Tiger falls on Valentine’s Day.
Nguyen Hue Boulevard, one of the most picturesque streets in HCMC, will once again be transformed into the Flower Street as part of the Tet Festival 2010 with a series of entertainment and charitable programs, event organizers said on Tuesday.
An array of flowers, including apricot blossoms - the southern region’s traditional Tet flower, orchids, ornamental plants, and bonsai will be brought in from other localities nationwide to adorn the avenue in front of the city government’s office.
Fresh flowers from the highland resort town of Da Lat and major flower-growing areas in the Mekong Delta provinces will be among the displays along Nguyen Hue and surrounding streets like Le Loi, Mac Thi Buoi, Huynh Thuc Khang and Hai Trieu.
Statues of tigers made of several materials including wood, bronze, and tree bark, plus images of tigers in folklore paintings will be displayed on the street in celebration of the coming Year of the Tiger.
The flower display will include recreations of traditional Vietnamese countryside villages with stacks of yellow straw, rice fields, and storks.
The organizing committee said Tuesday that the festival would feature other events including a banh tet (a traditional sticky rice cake in a cylindrical shape) fest and firework displays.
Tran Hung Viet, deputy general director of Saigontourist and head of the organizing committee, said like the previous festival, this year’s event would include banh tet making contests open to both individuals and organizations throughout the city starting on February 9. The Saigontourist Holding Company has been the main organizer of the festival since 2004.
The selected entries that make it through the qualifying rounds will compete in a final round at the Dam Sen Park the next morning.
The first-prize winner will receive the honor of offering the cake at worshipping ceremonies at the Hung Kings (legendary founders of Vietnam) temple in District 9, the Ho Chi Minh Museum and the Ton Duc Thang Museum from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on February 12.
Organizers will also donate 10,000 banh tet cakes to disadvantaged people around the city to celebrate the Lunar New Year on February 11.
The HCMC administration said it views the Tet Festival as a special occasion for both residents and international visitors.