Visitors to Hanoi’s Old Quarter will have an opportunity to enjoy a taste of Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) along with a wide variety of activities being held from January 19 to February 12.
At the Kim Ngan communal temple is an exhibition of three famous genres of folk paintings in the northern region, namely Dong Ho, Hang Trong and Kim Hoang. Kim Hoang paintings have been re-established recently and will be showcased for the first time after decades of discontinuation due to most of the woodblocks being lost in a flood in the early 20th century.
The highlight of Kim Hoang is a painting titled “Than Ke” (Divine Rooster), measuring 2.2 x 0.6 metres. The Tet celebration of a typical Hanoian family in the past will be recreated at the Heritage House at 87 Ma May Street while that of a rural family in northern Vietnam will be reproduced at the Old Quarter Cultural Exchange Centre at 50 Dao Duy Tu Street.
There visitors can compare the similarities and differences of how the Lunar New Year was celebrated between an urban and rural family in the northern delta region. Calligraphy and folk painting performances in addition to an exhibition of traditional handicraft products will take place at the Old Quarter Heritage Information Centre at 28 Hang Buom Street.
In addition, traditional musical shows will be put on from January 29 to February 1, or from the second day to the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.