Ho Chi Minh City's main streets from Nguyen Hue to Le Loi will sparkle with 500 decorative multi-coloured lanterns, flowers and bonsai from January 28 to 31, 2006.

Festival, entitled "the spring look", will attract a number of domestic and foreign visitors. A total of 80,000 flower pots and bamboo, rattan and ceramic items will depict waterfalls, stone dogs and peaceful country scenes.

At the festival, two Tet cakes (long round glutinous rice cakes), 3.6m in length and 0.8m in diametre each, will be brought to the city's Opera House on January 30 (the 2nd day of the Lunar New Year). The cakes will be made of 1,500 kilos of glutinous rice, 300 kilos of green bean, 100 kilos of pork, and wrapped in 350 kilos of banana leaves. In addition, six traditional Vietnamese cakes will also be displayed at the festival.

(Source: VNA)