The Hanoi Lotus Festival 2024 kicked off last night (July 12) at Tay Ho Cultural and Creative Space as part of programs to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Hanoi Liberation Day. 

As one of the most important symbols of Vietnamese culture, the lotus flower represents purity and resilience. It is also an image and material used in many everyday products.

As one of the most important symbols of Vietnamese culture, the lotus  flower represents purity and resilience. Photo: Duy Khanh

Making remarks at the opening ceremony, Hanoi Deputy Mayor Nguyen Manh Quyen emphasized that the capital city is focusing on developing lotus farming as part of its strategy to restructure the agricultural sector, alongside promoting urban agriculture and tourism. 

During the festival, various exciting activities are planned, including the awarding of the "Ao Dai Beauty and Lotus" photo contest, a seminar on "Preservation and Development of Flowers," introduction and promotion of OCOP products in Tay Ho district, and a music night featuring "Trinh Cong Son and friends".

“The event promises to bring unique art programs and exchanges of regional cultures blending with the lifestyle of the Hanoi people", Quyen said.

Stressing that culture is among the three pillars of ASEAN, Charge d'Affaires of the Lao PDR Latana Siharaj expressed her honor to attend the ceremony, along with several foreign diplomatic missions in Hanoi, and to introduce photos of the lotus flower in Lao culture and life.

"We appreciate the efforts of Hanoi in organizing activities that contribute to the cohesion of the diplomatic corps," Latana Siharaj said.

At the opening ceremony of the festival, the Vietnam Record Organization two records: the largest number of cyclists joining the Tay Ho lotus ride in Vietnam at 7,000 and the highest number of people wearing traditional ao dai with lotus patterns in Vietnam at 1,000.

The event also showcased OCOP products associated with the culture of Vietnam’s northern mountainous provinces, with over 100 booths from 33 provinces and cities nationwide displaying more than 1,000 OCOP regional specialties.

Especially, a space for displaying and introducing lotus products is highlighted with the portrait of Uncle Ho composed of nearly 2,000  lotus photos from different regions and the painting "Thang Long Huyen Dieu Hoa”, crafted from over 20,000 lotus flowers.

Some photos of the ceremony last night:

The exhibiton "Lotus timeless beauy" kicked off within the framework of the festival. Photo: The Hanoi Times

Special cultural arts programs from different regions in the festival. Photo: Duy Khanh

Special cultural arts programs from different regions in the festival. Photo: Duy Khanh

Special cultural arts programs from different regions in the festival. Photo: Duy Khanh

For the first time, a semi-realistic underwater stage with many technological elements and unique projection mapping  has been created  at the Cultural and Creative Space of Tay Ho district. Photo: Duy Khanh

The performance of ao dai with patterns by designer Cao Minh Tien showed the beauty of the lotus flower through hand-drawn strokes. Photo: Duy Khanh

The performance of ao dai with patterns by designer Cao Minh Tien showed the beauty of the lotus flower through hand-drawn strokes. Photo: Duy Khanh