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New Year flag-salute ceremony at the easternmost point

The New Year flag-salute ceremony is held at the easternmost point of Vietnam in the south central province of Phu Yen Photo: VNA

On January 1, at Hoa Tam commune, Dong Hoa town - the easternmost point, where welcomes the first rays of sunrise on the country’s mainland, the People's Committee of Phu Yen province held the New Year's flag ceremony 2021 and received the first visitors to Bai Mon - Mui Dien national tourism site.

When the National Anthem was played, the first sunrise was seen on Vietnam’s mainland, making the New Year flag-salute ceremony even more sacred and majestic.

New Year flag-salute ceremony was the opening event in a series of activities to celebrate the 410th anniversary of establishing Phu Yen (1611 - 2021), aiming to educate young generations about the patriotism and the pride of national independence.

Along with the New Year flag-salute ceremony, the Phu Yen Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism welcomed and presented gifts to the first visitors to the Bai Mon – Mui Dien national tourist site.

Amidst the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, Phu Yen served 900,000 visitors in 2020, 7,385 of which were foreigners. The local tourism industry earned a total of VND 678 billion (more than US$ 29 million).

First footing Hoi An with Bai Choi singing

Photo: Tien Phong

On the morning of January 1, at Japanese Covered Bridge, the Hoi An Town People's Committee in coordination with the Quang Nam Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism held a program to welcome the first 19 visitors to the ancient town in 2021.

The first callers paraded through Nguyen Phuc Chu Street, An Hoi Bridge, and the Japanese Covered Bridge. They were given fresh flowers from the leaders of Quang Nam province. Besides, they had the chance to listen to Bai Choi singing, the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, and visited for free the Thanh Ha pottery village and Tra Que vegetable village.

New rice celebration of Bahnar ethnic group in Gia Lai

Photo: VNA

To celebrate the New Year and a newly-harvested bumper crop, the Bahnar ethnic group in the Central Highlands holds the New Rice Festival.

New Rice Festival is a long-standing cultural feature of the Bahnar people in particular and the ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands in general.

Before harvesting rice, each household chooses the best rice to worship Yang Sri, the Rice God. The best rice will be then processed into Cốm (green rice flakes). Besides, wine and chickens are also used as offerings to worship the Rice God.

The festival also features the activity of the gong team knocks the door of each household in the village and wishes them New Year.

Hanoi welcomes the first tourists in 2021

Photo: Hanoimoi

On January 1, 2021, at the Temple Of Literature, the Hanoi City Department of Tourism cooperated with relevant agencies to organize a ceremony to welcome the first group of tourists to the capital city in 2021.

20 visitors, coming from Ho Chi Minh City, were presented with Hanoi’s specialties, took part in the incense offering ceremony at the Temple of Literature, and enjoyed unique art performances.

The event was held in response to the program "Vietnamese traveling domestically", aiming to stimulate domestic tourism post- COVID-19 as well as to promote the culture and people of Hanoi.

Reenacting calendar- granting ceremony of the Nguyen Dynasty

Photo: PLO

Nguyen Dynasty organized the “Ban lịch” ceremony, also known as “Ban Sóc” to distribute calendars for royal mandarins at Ngọ Môn (Noon Gate). The ordinary people receive the calendar in their localities.

With taking the agricultural economy as a priority of Vietnamese in the past, the calendar is really important that helps to follow time and weather for farming.

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