Both sides of Hai Thuong Lan Ong in District 5, HCMC are brightened up by the red and yellow colors of parallel sentences, hand scrolls, lucky money envelopes, lanterns, man-made apricot and cherry blossom trees, and some other decorative items for the Lunar New Year (Tet). According to local people, Hai Thuong Lan Ong is a key venue for selling Tet furnishing items, so it often attracts many locals and expats in the run up to Tet holiday. For city dwellers, the street is a popular address for not only looking for items to decorate their homes during Tet but also getting the feel of a traditional Tet, Vietnam’s biggest and longest national holiday, which starts on February 16 this year. Chinese people credited their business success and happy life to religious beliefs, so every Chinese family maintains the custom of hanging hand scrolls, lanterns or calligraphy paintings in red, a symbol of luck and prosperity according to Chinese belief, in front of their homes during Tet. It comes as no surprise that some Chinese hand scroll writers are on hands to write words or phrases on a piece of red paper carrying the meaning of luck, peace, good health or prosperity, with prices ranging from VND90,000 (US$3.96) to VND150,000. Kim Hy, a 70-year-old Chinese Vietnamese calligrapher, told the Daily that his business has been thriving during the last lunar month of year as the Vietnamese, including those of Chinese descent, come to ask for lucky words and sentences for… [Read full story]
Saigonese excited to explore Garden Mall in District 5Thanh Hoa Thousands of city dwellers are rushing to the Cholon area in HCMC’s District 5 these days to admire a cultural and artistic space at the Garden Mall, a new name of Thuan Kieu Plaza which has been revived after halting operations for more than ten years. Nestled at 190 Hong Bang Street in District 5, the Garden Mall was officially put into operation on November 3, creating a new sightseeing and entertainment spot for city dwellers and contributing to attract more foreign tourists. One of the highlights of the newly-launched…... [read more]
Traditional Medicine Week in District 5 Thanh Hoa The Traditional Medicine Week program closed on February 26 after four days of display in District 5, HCMC. The medicinal herb and traditional drug stands were erected along Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street to make it easy for visitors to inspect and buy traditional drugs which are mainly made from herbs. The goal of the event was to promote traditional oriental drugs and especially the traditional drug quarter of District 5 which encompasses Hai Thuong Lan Ong, Luong Nhu Hoc and Trieu Quang Phuc streets. During the event, visitors also had a…... [read more]
Lantern Festival in District 5 Phuc Minh By Phuc Minh - The Saigon Times Daily As a long-established tradition, the Chinese Vietnamese community in HCMC’s District 5 has begun preparing the Lantern Festival slated for the 15th night of the first lunar month. The annual event is intended for Vietnamese of Chinese descent but local people also come to visit it thanks to its special art performances and other festive activities. People usually hang flower garlands and lanterns to pray for good weather, bumper crops and thriving business. On this occasion, red lanterns are seen on the facades of club-houses,…... [read more]
Domestic Press Highlights (12-12-2008) District 5 makes VND1 trillion in revenue HCM City's District 5 has achieved revenues of VND1.07 trillion (US$64.2 million), exceeding the target by 9 per cent. It is the first time it has achieved this and joins Districts 1 and 10 as the only districts to be able to do so. Districts 1 and 10 reached the amount last year. Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon) Can Tho records 16% growth for 2008 Can Tho has achieved economic growth of 16 per cent this year, the highest in the Mekong Delta region. The growth is…... [read more]
The chairman of Hoc Mon District People's Committee, Ho Chi Minh City was arrested Saturday for allegedly helping a company swindle around VND42 billion (US$2.6 million) from a bank. Nguyen Van Khoe was taken in yesterday after the police combed his house and office. Colonel Phan Anh Minh, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Public Security, said yesterday that the police initially aimed to charge Khoe for "abusing power". The Ho Chi Minh City Communist Party Committee also announced yesterday it would suspend Khoe's party membership pending further investigations into the fraud in question. Khoe, 53, is accused of…... [read more]
