25th anniversary of District 7, HCMC
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of District 7 of Hồ Chí Minh City, the local government will hold a festival with many activities from 26th March to 1st April 2022.
The festival will have many exciting activities such as boat racing, water puppetry, and a traditional martial arts competition. You are welcome to join the festival to share the fun with the locals.
You can see and join many exciting activities
Crescent Lake is the main venue of the festival this year
Image credit: YOU CAN DO ANYTHING
As planned, there will be around ten different activities appearing at the festival in Saigon this year. The four main activities are boat racing, traditional martial arts, lion dance, and art performances.
Among them, a boat race will take place on 26th March from 7.30AM to 12.30PM at Saigon South Marina Club, kickstarting the festival. Competing in 8 different categories, teams will race over a distance of 500 metres from Saigon South Marina Club to Dìn Ký Dock on the Green Islet. Winners will receive medals and gifts from the organizers.
After the boat race, from 6PM to around 9PM every day from 26th March to 1st April 2022, multiple intriguing activities will roll out at the same time. Martial arts athletes will compete with each other every day, except for 29th and 30th March, at the arena stage.
You can also enjoy water puppetry performances at the water stage at 27th March at 7PM and on 1st April at 6PM. And if you’re a lion dance buff, join the festival on the evenings of 26th, 28th, 29th, and 30th March to enjoy performances from local clubs.
It is held at a beautiful location of District 7 with more activities awaiting you
The Starlight Bridge is famous as a place for couples
Image credit: Diệu Ngô
With the only exception of the boat race, all activities within this festival will take place on Tôn Dật Tiên Street around Crescent Lake. As the lake is adjacent to a park, you can have a relaxing time here among the natural landscape.
Additionally, the Starlight Walking Bridge over the lake is incredibly romantic at night with lights and fountains, making it a wonderful place for your next date.
Tò he, or Vietnamese toy figurines, are originally made from colored steamed powder. However, please check with the tò he artisan to ask if your tò he is edible.
Image credit: Duyphuong/Wikimedia
During the festival week, many other activities will also come up in the lake area. Indeed, every evening, you can learn and join traditional Vietnamese children’s games namely Ô ăn quan, or Vietnamese mancala, coconut leaf origami, or ném còn, sacred ball throwing, and the making of toy figurines called tò he.
Plus, you can also bring some calligraphy home as souvenirs from calligraphers’ stalls.
On the main stage, you can enjoy live performances of Vietnamese songs of different genres.
It marks 25 years of development of District 7
District 7 skyline at dusk
Image credit: 1PLUS VIETNAM
This year marks the 25th anniversary since District 7 was separated from Nhà Bè District on 6th January 1996. During this time, District 7 has developed tremendously from a rural area into a modern district with many high-rise buildings, shopping malls, and a crucial export processing zone of the whole southern Vietnam region. The change is even more awe-inspiring if we look back to the last century when the area of District 7 was merely canals and swamps.
The festival is also an effort of the local authorities to bring more meaningful activities to all classes of people living in District 7, a place often associated with the better-off.
25th anniversary of District 7, Saigon
With many activities taking place during the week, the 25th anniversary will be a great choice for your nights out next week.
By joining this festival, you will not only have an entertaining time with many arts performances but also know more interesting aspects of the local community in District 7 and Saigonese in general.
Also see:
- Authentic Korean experiences in District 7
- 7 top-rated ramen restaurants in Saigon
- Ollin: Must-try specialty cafe in District 7
Cover image adapted from: Người Lao Động, Gregg Willis/Wikimedia, and YOU CAN DO ANYTHING
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