A two-week Spring Flower Fair, the first cultural event of the Tet festival, opened in Ho Chi Minh City on February 8.

The Fair is showcasing a record number 8,000 foreign and domestic bonsais, flowers, plants, stones and birds.

There will also be traditional cultural programmes and competitions to introduce and promote Vietnam’s land and people and its unique culture.

This year, the Fair has expanded its area from Tao Dan park to Ho Con Rua where a huge soaring dragon made of beautiful flowers salutes the 1000^th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

In addition to artisans from all around the country, the Fair is also featuring artisans from Japan, Singapore and Taiwan.

Around 2,000 disadvantaged workers and pupils have been give free tickets to the Fair.