Stories of people seeking happiness

In just a few hours, "Vietnam Happy Fest 2025" will take place at the Hoan Kiem Lake Walking Street (Hanoi). This is not only a series of cultural and artistic activities but also an emotional journey where the public can explore the values of happiness through many modern and humanistic perspectives.

Opening up a unique art space

Up to now, the space around Hoan Kiem Lake has been transformed to become more and more beautiful to welcome this unique event. The locations of the 13 happy events have also been clearly shaped in the perception of the people of the Capital, and the program's Organizing Committee is still working hard day and night to make the flower carpet more colorful, the photos to brighten the Vietnamese smile more radiantly...

Among the bustling crowd around Hoan Kiem Lake from early morning to late at night, it is difficult to recognize the image of Director of the Department of Grassroots Information and External Information ( Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism ) Pham Anh Tuan , because like everyone else, he always has a friendly and hospitable smile on his lips. Sharing with people about the event, Director Pham Anh Tuan said that Vietnam Happy Fest 2025 is an event chaired by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in coordination with the Hanoi People's Committee, Vietnam Television and the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists.

The location of the Happy Tree is in the Ba Kieu Temple area, where it welcomes the bustling traffic from Dinh Tien Hoang to Hang Dau, Hang Dao...

The overall concept of the event is “The Road of Happiness” with 13 experiential activities stretching from Le Thai To Street, through Dinh Tien Hoang, Hang Khay and ending at the Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square stage. All of these unique activities aim to spread the message of a “Happy Vietnam”.

The series of activities aims to touch the hearts of everyone when mentioning the sacred phrase “Socialist Republic of Vietnam - Independence, Freedom, Happiness” that has echoed for more than 8 decades. This message has been reaching far and wide, spreading positive images of the country and people of Vietnam, an independent, free, happy country, rich in cultural and historical traditions, dynamic, creative and increasingly asserting its position in the international arena.

On the last night before the big festival, the later it gets, the more the first East winds blow by Hoan Kiem Lake. The sky turns cold but sweat still glistens on the faces of those planting the tree of happiness. That is the Bodhi tree brought from the sacred land of the two kings of Duong Lam at the foot of the sacred Tan Linh where the Holy Ancestor, the leader of the "Four Immortals" of our country, resides.

Compared to the original location where the happiness tree was planned to be located at the foot of the statue of King Ly Thai To, the new location chosen to officially place the tree is not far away, in the area of Ba Kieu Temple, where the bustling traffic from Dinh Tien Hoang direction to Hang Dau, Hang Dao... is welcomed. Here, the "Happiness Tree" will be more suitable for many people in the capital to worship and send their wishes for "national peace and prosperity", peace from every home.

Looking to the future

Speaking of the tree of happiness - a special highlight of the Vietnam Happy Fest 2025 program, we must mention the recent "80 years of journey of Independence - Freedom - Happiness" Exhibition. The "Happiness Tree" in the exhibition area received countless wishes. In particular, the Organizing Committee was extremely moved when most of the wishes were for the country to develop brilliantly, for everyone, every family to be happy and prosperous as the beloved Uncle Ho who devoted his whole life to it.

The Happiness Tree is also the aspiration for a happy Vietnam and 365 days a year always carry the noble meaning of a shining smile... The Happiness Tree is a place to preserve the happy moments and messages of each participant... Each card hung up is not only a wish, but also contributes to cultivating happiness to spread and grow, becoming a symbol of connecting HAPPINESS of Vietnam. Hopefully each wish hung on the Happiness Tree will come true for each person.

Many people supported the moving of the Lucky Tree and considered touching the tree to bring "luck".

Ms. Le Thuy Hang, the "father" of the idea of the happy tree from the Exhibition "80 years of the journey of Independence - Freedom - Happiness" to the event "Vietnam Happy Fest 2025" shared that people can send wishes and messages of love to the "happy tree". The "Happiness Tree" symbolizes the prayer for national peace and prosperity, a peaceful home; is a beautiful cultural feature of the community, connecting from heart to heart, this is also a custom, a meaningful cultural feature of the community...

"The Happiness Tree not only has the meaning of healing and connecting from heart to heart, but also of sharing worries and aspirations. Each card hung up is like a "seed of happiness" planted with love and faith. Every day, we nurture happiness to grow, spread and become a symbol of connecting happiness in Vietnam. The Happiness Tree is not only a part of the exhibition, but also a testament to the belief that: when shared, Happiness will bear sweet fruit" - Ms. Hang said emotionally.

The Bodhi tree is a sacred tree associated with Buddhist teachings and is chosen to sow the seeds of happiness. In the sincere belief of Vietnamese people, the Bodhi tree also symbolizes luck, goodness, exorcism and purification of impurities and bad things in oneself. Many beliefs believe that planting the Bodhi tree helps people to be good, to participate in accumulating merits for this life and the next.

Mr. Kieu Binh Hung (in village 5 Tich Giang, Phuc Tho commune, Hanoi), the owner of the Bodhi tree chosen as the tree of happiness, shared, "During many visits to Duong Lam ancient village, I was impressed by the Bodhi tree spreading out like a mother's arms embracing an ancient house filled with happiness, so I begged the owner. After many thoughts, I was lucky to be accepted by the owner to take the tree home to cultivate. When I first brought it home, the tree showed signs of weakness and had no leaves. I was worried that the tree would not survive... But strangely enough, when the Organizing Committee of the Vietnam Happy Fest 2025 program happened to pass by and liked the tree to choose it as the "tree of happiness", the green buds on the tree began to sprout and became as healthy as they are now."

Continuing the story from the owner of the "Happiness" Bodhi tree, Director Pham Anh Tuan confided: Initially, when choosing the Bodhi tree as the "happiness tree", the program's organizing committee painstakingly searched for suitable beautiful tree roots... And on that long journey of searching, the organizing committee planned to choose another tree root, although it was not as expected, and while going back through Duong Lam, the car had an engine failure and stopped right in front of Mr. Kieu Binh Hung's garden. While waiting for the car to be repaired, the image of the Bodhi tree in the garden, which at that time had no leaves, suddenly appeared, as if to tell us, urging us to something...

Strangely, after 100 days from the bare branches of the old tree, the happiness tree suddenly sprouted young green leaves full of vitality like bells swaying in the wind. Not letting down those who seek happiness, the Bodhi tree was placed in the right position to receive and spread the wish for happiness for a Vietnam that will grow strongly in the future.

Although the event has not officially taken place, it has attracted much attention from domestic and foreign tourists.

More than that, “Vietnam Happy Fest 2025” is to continue affirming the image of Vietnam as a peaceful, benevolent and sharing country. Happiness is not only expressed through art, creativity or the joy of reunion, but also through the spirit of turning towards the community, especially the central region - where the benevolent hearts of the whole country are turning towards.

Looking to the future, the Program hopes to organize the annual “Vietnam Happy Day”, a national cultural mark and an attractive destination for international friends. Vietnam Happy Fest 2025 is not only a cultural and entertainment event but also a strategic solution to contribute to building and protecting the Fatherland in the new period.

Source: https://vietmy.net.vn/chuyen-ve-nhung-nguoi-di-tim-hanh-phuc-4c1144f42.html