Hanoi Lotus Festival 2024, the first of its kind, will be held from July 12 to 16 at Tay Ho Cultural and Creative Space (Alley 612, Lac Long Quan Street, Hanoi).

, with many attractive and unique activities to honor the value of the lotus plant in socio-economic development.  

More experiences at lotus ponds

Tay Ho District lotus pond owners have been working feverishly to get ready for the first Hanoi Lotus Festival since the committee's mid-June announcement.

Making Tay Ho lotus tea is a traditional craft in Hanoi. Photo: Ngoc Tu/The Hanoi Times

Farmer Chu Duc Trong said this year's sun is hotter than usual and the lotus flowers are blooming earlier, but the pond owner is currently pruning the trees to ensure the lotus garden remains green during the festival.

"We still try to keep the ponds with enough lotus for visitors to enjoy, take pictures, and experience many exciting activities. We also add some decorative objects for guests to take pictures on the spot," Trong said.

West Lake Lotus is very famous, attracting thousands of people to take pictures and enjoy tea when it's in full bloom. In preparation for the Lotus Festival, pond owners have made lotus tea and mut sen (sugar-coated lotus seeds) and arranged tea treats.

For the first Hanoi Lotus Festival, the owner of Hanoi's famous lotus tea brand Hien Xiem prepared unique lotus tea.

Lotus flower for making tea. Photo: Ngoc Anh/The Hanoi Times

Luu Thi Hien, owner of the Hien Xiem Lotus Tea brand, said her family has had the tradition of making tea for many generations and supplies large quantities of lotus tea to the market every year.

"The art of making lotus tea has been passed down for many generations in many families in Tay Ho, but now there are only a few families left. Therefore, the festival will help promote the quintessence of Hanoi Lotus and encourage artisans to preserve their ancestors' craft," Hien said. 

According to the Tay Ho District People's Committee, the Hanoi Lotus Festival 2024 will feature flowers, lotus silk, lotus sweet soup, lotus sticky rice, lotus sausage, decorative products, and lotus handicrafts.

Vice Chairwoman of Tay Ho District People's Committee Bui Thi Lan Phuong said that so far, enterprises are making urgent preparations, ready to offer unique Hanoi Lotus products to festival-goers.

Bach Diep (one hundred petals) pink lotus, a famous lotus species in West Lake. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times

"The Hanoi Lotus Festival will provide an attractive and unique experience for people and tourists, reaffirming the value of the lotus in the cultural and non-material life of Vietnamese people in general and Hanoi in particular, as well as the potential of the lotus in economic development," Phuong said.

According to Nguyen Dinh Khuyen, Chairman of the Tay Ho District People's Committee and head of the Hanoi Lotus Festival 2024 organizing committee, the district has coordinated with relevant agencies to make the festival an opportunity to showcase OCOP products from the northern provinces.

"The festival is an opportunity to promote exchanges between Hanoi and other localities, unleash the potential for developing local OCOP products, attract tourists to visit Hanoi, and contribute to local economic and tourism development," he said.

The main activities of the festival include 100 booths displaying OCOP products and lotus specialties; lotus installation art space; photo exhibition of lotus in Vietnamese life; tourism promotion conference; music show; and bicycle parade with the participation of 7,000 cyclists around West Lake.