Leaders from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City today gathered for the opening of the "Hanoi Days in Ho Chi Minh City" festival, which will run from August 23 to 25.

Nguyen Van Phong, Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee and senior officials from Ho Chi Minh City visited notable locations to make incense offerings and lay flower wreaths. Their tour included the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Ho Chi Minh Museum, the Ton Duc Thang Museum, and the Cho Quan Hospital Detention Center, a national heritage site.

“Hanoi Days in Ho Chi Minh City” will include a number of events, such as picture exhibits and scale replicas of some of the city’s most important historical landmarks, including Dong Xuan Market, Long Bien Bridge, and Hoan Kiem Lake.

Nguyen Van Phong, Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, 4th from left, and Ho Chi Minh City’s senior officials at the festival's opening ceremony. Photos: The Hanoi Times

Nguyen Van Phong (C) and Vu Thu Ha, Deputy Chairwoman of the Hanoi People's Committee (second from right) at the event.

Leaders of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City attend the opening ceremony.

Do Dinh Hong, Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, speaks at the event.

The officials visit a museum.

The officials at a historical relic.