In the early days of Binh Ngo spring, the central strip of Hai Phong becomes a familiar rendezvous for people and tourists. Crowds flock to the area of Hai Phong City Theater square to enjoy spring, take photos, and enjoy the bustling New Year atmosphere.
From mid-December, the city center strip has been "coated in a new coat". The system of green trees, flower carpets, and miniatures have been rearranged synchronously, creating a look that is both strange and familiar to the people of Hai Phong.
A notable highlight this year is the area of 5 flower shops near the City Theater square being restored and decorated with many colorful flowers, opening up a new check-in space that attracts a large number of people.
Mr. Vu Dinh Duc (Nam Son ward, Hai Phong) and his family went to visit and take photos. He shared that this area used to be a place for small traders to display flowers for Tet, now it has been renovated and embellished into flower shops with the shape of ancient Phuong Dinh. "A little different but still retaining the familiar ironwood architecture, creating a familiar feeling for people. The space is both traditional and has new highlights, so it is worth experiencing" - Mr. Duc said.
5 flower shops are designed in the Phuong Dinh style with four large ironwood pillars creating a solid and balanced shape. The roof is tiled with curved dragon scales, the roof edge is dotted with four branches of lemon flowers spreading evenly in all directions, evoking solemnity but still softness. The combination of ancient architecture and fresh flower colors creates a prominent background for spring travel photos.
Mr. Duc believes that if the flower stall area is decorated with different themes each year, it will increase its attractiveness. "Landscape investment not only beautifies the city but also creates more tourism products, helping people have more space to play, and tourists have more stops" - Mr. Duc expressed.
Not only local people, many families from other provinces and cities also choose the central strip of Hai Phong as a spring tourist destination. Ms. Vu Thu Loan (40 years old, Hanoi) - who has celebrated Tet in Hai Phong for nearly 15 years - said that every year her family comes here to take souvenir photos.
I am a daughter-in-law in Hai Phong and have also witnessed the changes of the city over the years. The central flower strip is always carefully invested, creating a sense of solemnity and bustling. This is almost an indispensable rendezvous point every beginning of the year for my family" - Ms. Loan said.
Besides families, the central flower carpet area is also a "screen" for many service photographers. Mr. Nguyen Duy Tien - a member of the photography club, with 20 years of experience in the profession - said that in the morning he has taken photos for about 30 customers. "Normally, very few people take photos here, mainly during Tet. The price of printing photos is 30,000 VND/photo; if customers only take files, the price is from 10,000-15,000 VND" - Mr. Tien informed.
According to Mr. Tien, the current trend is that customers prefer to receive photo files to store on their phones and social networks rather than printing paper photos. He usually works from the 1st to about the 10th day of Tet, while some other workers start from the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month.
The atmosphere in the city center strip is still bustling in the first days of the year. Groups of young people wearing ao dai, families of many generations gathering to take photos, laughter and conversations harmonizing with the brilliant colors of flowers create a vivid spring picture in the heart of the Port city.
Maintaining and renewing public spaces during Tet not only meets the entertainment and sightseeing needs of people but also contributes to building an image of Hai Phong that is increasingly civilized and modern but still preserves its traditional identity.
