Ho Chi Minh City inaugurates Nguyen Hue Flower Street for Tet 2025 (Year of the Snake).

On the evening of January 27th, the Organizing Committee of Nguyen Hue Flower Street solemnly held the opening ceremony of the Nguyen Hue Flower Street for Tet 2025 (Year of the Snake) with the theme "A Land of Splendor and Beauty, Celebrating a Peaceful Spring".

Attending the opening ceremony of the Nguyen Hue flower street were Politburo member and Head of the Central Propaganda Department Nguyen Trong Nghia; Politburo member and Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen; former Vice President Truong My Hoa; Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai; Central Committee member and Standing Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Thanh Nghi; and former leaders of the Party and State, Ho Chi Minh City, along with representatives from the consulates general of various countries in Ho Chi Minh City.

Before the opening ceremony of the Nguyen Hue Flower Street for Tet 2025, leaders and former leaders of the Central Government and Ho Chi Minh City respectfully laid flowers at the Monument to President Ho Chi Minh , and observed a moment of silence in solemn remembrance of the great leader of the nation.

lanh dao 1.jpg — Leaders and former leaders of the Central Government and Ho Chi Minh City attended the opening ceremony of the Nguyen Hue Flower Street for Tet 2025 (Year of the Snake). Photo: DUNG PHUONG

Construction of the Nguyen Hue Flower Street for Tet 2025 (Year of the Snake) began on the morning of January 9th and was completed by noon on January 27th. After the opening ceremony, the flower street will officially open to visitors for spring festivities and sightseeing. The flower street will be open to visitors until 9 PM on February 2nd (the 5th day of Tet).

Ho Chi Minh City leaders visit Nguyen Hue Flower Street for Tet 2025 (Year of the Snake). Photo: Dung Phuong

This year, Nguyen Hue Flower Street celebrates its 22nd anniversary and is considered a cultural symbol of Tet (Lunar New Year) in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Nguyen Hue Flower Street for Tet 2025 (Year of the Snake) is designed with three segments: Unity, Transformation , and Development, representing the historical journey of the Vietnamese nation overcoming all hardships, still singing the song of unity to achieve independence and national unification, transforming and developing, confidently moving forward into a new era, "the era of the Vietnamese nation's rise" .

Numerous tourists took photos with the pair of mascots, the Golden Snake and the Silver Snake, at the entrance gate of Nguyen Hue Flower Street for the Lunar New Year of the Snake 2025. Photo: DUNG PHUONG

Spanning over 600 meters, the Tet Flower Street is meticulously crafted, featuring numerous large and small structures and utilizing 109,000 flower baskets of various types and many environmentally friendly materials. Approximately 90 sculptures of the Year of the Snake, created over several months, showcase a diverse range of styles and shapes, providing a captivating and interesting experience for visitors. Among them, the most striking are the pair of Golden Snakes, 42 meters long and Silver Snakes, 25 meters long and over 6 meters tall. Their upper backs are covered with approximately 6,300 reflective mica scales, combined with LED lights running along their bellies, and their sharp eyes have a diameter of 10 cm.

Central and Ho Chi Minh City leaders pose for a commemorative photo with the Year of the Snake mascot at the Nguyen Hue Flower Street for Tet 2025 (Year of the Snake). Photo: DUNG PHUONG

The Flower Street also features a mascot representing the Southern Vietnamese spirit of the Snake, dressed in a checkered scarf and conical hat, modeled after a king cobra in a raised-head pose, its entire body covered in green, over 50 meters long and more than 10 meters high.

In the days leading up to the official opening of the Flower Street, the mascot of the Year of the Snake has been filmed by many people and posted on social media, receiving many positive reviews.

This year's Nguyen Hue Flower Street displays continue to utilize familiar elements such as terraced rice fields and canopies made of vibrant yellow corn; displays celebrating major holidays in 2025 with the theme "Celebrating the Fiftieth Tet - Celebrating the Spring of Reunification" are adorned with colorful flowers; images of the metro train mark the first year of metro operation, also signifying another step forward for the city in its transition to a new era; and exhibition spaces honoring the beauty of friendship during the traditional Vietnamese Tet holiday and with international friends.

Earlier, at 5 PM on the same day, the Tet Book Street Festival 2025 officially opened with the theme "A beautiful land, a joyful and peaceful spring."

Delegates visit the exhibition area at the Tet Book Street 2025. Photo: DUNG PHUONG

This is the 15th time this cultural event has been held. Located parallel to Nguyen Hue Flower Street (on Le Loi Street), this year's Tet Book Street Festival is inspired by Metro Line 1, a project that symbolizes the city's development in recent years.

The festival was attended by 22 publishing houses with over 68,000 books in various genres, from literature, history, and politics to children's books and science and technology. In addition, the book street also featured a light technology exhibition area showcasing rare and valuable book covers, providing a vivid visual experience for visitors.

"The festival also dedicates a space to display the book covers that won the 2024 National Award, honoring outstanding works in the publishing field," said Mr. Lam Dinh Thang, Director of the Department of Information and Communications of Ho Chi Minh City.

Comrade Nguyen Trong Nghia, Member of the Political Bureau and Head of the Central Propaganda Department, is viewing a work by researcher Nguyen Dinh Tu. Photo: DUNG PHUONG

The Tet Book Street Festival 2025 will take place from January 27th to February 2nd. This is a must-visit destination for those who love books, art, and want to immerse themselves in the meaningful atmosphere of Tet.

>> Some images from the opening ceremony of Nguyen Hue Flower Street for Tet 2025 (Year of the Snake). Photo: DUNG PHUONG