Thousands of HCMC residents and visitors flocked to Tet festivities on Nguyen Hue Flower Street which opened February 11. The theme this year is Xuan binh minh (Dawn of Spring). The Peoples Committee of HCMC said this years theme reflects the countrys yearning to recover from the global economic slowdown and conveys the hope for an improved situation.

An exhibition displaying 100 antiques with some dating back to the first century will open in Hanoi from February 11 till March 10 for antique lovers as a stop for their city sight-seeing tour during Tet holiday.

Ha Long Bay and Cuu Long river, a tributary of the Mekong River, have been selected among the world’s 100 destinations for couples by the France L’internaute online magazine. The selection is based on three criteria, the romance, literary characteristics and the differences.

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has announced that it will open a direct air route between Hanoi and Yangon, Myanmar, on March 2.

A major film on the history of Hanoi will start shooting on March 15 and will be shown on the 1,000th anniversary of the capital city, said the film director Luu Trong Ninh.

Halong Bay has been ranked as one of the 150 most beautiful natural wonders in the world by the French leading e-magazine, L’Internaute. An article portraying Halong Bay – a world natural heritage, was published in September in the Voyager (tourism) column of L’Internaute magazine.

A “Vietnamese Days in India” programme will take place on the occasion of the upcoming official visit to India of Chairman of the Vietnam National Assembly, which is slated for February 23-27.