Fast Food: KFC, Lotteria, McDonald’s, and Burger King

Such famous fast food restaurant chains as KFC, Lotteria, McDonald’s, and Burger King in Vietnam still open over Tet Holiday to serve all fast-food lovers. IN Vietnam, Lotteria and KFC are the most popular brands of all the mentioned giants. Korea’s Lotteria is well-known for its signature soybean chicken whereas American KFC offers its crispy spicy chicken. Let’s have some fast food in Vietnam and see how different it is from what you eat in your home country! All the spices are actually changed when the franchise moves into a new country to meet the locals’ taste buds.

Highway 4

The chain of Highway 4 restaurants offers Vietnamese cuisine. It is where you can eat the local food even though it happens during the Tet Holiday. They also often offer lucky money for the very first customers coming to their restaurants at the beginning of the Lunar New Year.

Pizza: Al Fresco’s, Pizza Hut, Pizza Domino and Pizza Inn

When it comes to popular foods to choose from for a franchise business, pizza would always appear on the top of the list. There are many franchise options – but pizza continues to be loved by families everywhere – anytime! Al Fresco’s, Pizza Hut, Pizza Domino and Pizza Inn are the best pizza franchises in Vietnam.

Gongcha Milktea

Gong Cha is a Taiwanese drink shop franchise. It expanded to Vietnam in 2014 and it has been doing a great job in the country, becoming one of the top milk tea brands. Gong Cha serves a total of more than fifty different drinks that can be divided into different types: signatures, brewed tea, milk tea, “Creative Mix”, coffee, “Healthy Series”, etc. They also offer drinks in medium and large sizes.

Cộng Coffee

Cong coffee chain is famous among both locals and expats in Vietnam. The coffee shop is explicitly designed in Viet Cong style, or we call The Vietnam Communist design. It recalls the days of state ownership and all communism and propaganda themes. Seen through Westerners’ eyes, Cộng‘s style is quite provocative but still worth a visit after all. The best drinks in Cong Coffee is their signature Coconut Coffee. Don’t miss it!

Starbucks Coffee

Starbucks open over Tet Holiday to serve people craving for some arabica coffee! Let’s have a cup of espresso in any of the last few days of the year or the first few days of the New Year!

The post What’s open in Vietnam during Lunar New Year – Restaurant and Coffee Chains and Franchises appeared first on Maze Vietnam.

Fairs

1. Nguyen Hue Flower Street
   Iconic and must see. Nguyen Hue Flower Street has long been a big part of Tet for the people of Saigon. Each year, the street is designed with a theme according to the 12 Zodiac Signs. This year, 2018, is the year of the dog. Even though the flower arrangements are extraordinary in their own rights, what makes the street special for me is the spirits. It is truly amazing to feel so much energy in one place.
   
   

   

   

   Date: 13-19/2
   Address: Nguyen Hue Street, District 1

2. Hội Hoa Xuân (Flower Festival)
   A confirmed smorgasbord of entertainment. There is a small game ground, lots of food vendors, various souvenir shops, a tea ceremony, a musical concert, and a huge flower competition going on. Avid gardeners and flower enthusiasts from across the country bring their proudest product here and make a total of over 4000 displays for your viewing pleasure. We have witnessed the appearance of weirdly shaped (and very much attractive) trees, or even a 2-century-old apricot blossom tree in the past years and cannot wait to see what 2018 has in store.

   

   Date: 10-21/2/2018
   Address: Trương Định, Bến Thành Ward, District 1

3. Chợ Hoa (Flower Markets)
   Should you wish more than just viewing, say, actually owning a vase or two of Vietnamese flowers, then come by one of these three venues to browse for yourself.

   

   Date: 8-15/2/2018
   Address:
   23/9 Park: 2 Phạm Ngũ Lão, District 1
   Gia Dinh Park: Ward 9, Phú Nhuận District
   Le Van Tam Park: Võ Thị Sáu, ĐaKao Ward, District 1

4. Phố Ông Đồ (Ong Do Street)
   Long ago, people traditionally sought distinguished scholars of the village (Ong Do) to ask for Thư Pháp. Thư Pháp is a Vietnamese take on calligraphy and what is typically written on it are Chinese characters of health, success, and luck, basically, the things you would wish to gain or retain in the new year. Now even though the practice is not as prevalent, Vietnamese still celebrate the tradition by organizing Ong Do Street where people can ask for good fortunes on paper just like old times.
   
   Video made by Khoi Nguyen

   

   

   Date: 10:00 – 22:00, from 02/02/2018 to 15/02/2018
   Address: Phạm Ngọc Thạch – Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, District 1

Pagodas

Vietnamese people believe that taking a trip to pagodas’ doors on the first few days of the new year will bring them good fortune for the 12 months ahead. But these spiritual sanctuaries are more than just platforms for people to pray for success and luck. They grant vísitors access to tranquil settings where people can wholeheartedly leave all the sufferings and sorrows behind and start entirely afresh. 

1. Chùa Giác Lâm (Giac Lam Pagoda)
   Established in 1744, Giac Lam Pagoda is widely considered to be the oldest pagoda around in Ho Chi Minh city. It is the very exemplar of Southern temple architecture with 3 adjoining house blocks following the Tam (which means 3) style.

   

   Address: 565 Lạc Long Quân, Ward 10, Tân Bình District
   Phone: 028 3865 3933

2. Chùa Vĩnh Nghiêm (Vinh Nghiem Pagoda)
   If Giac Lam is the paragon of Southern architecture, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda brings the North architectural essence to you. Here once raged the final battle of national hero Nguyen Van Troi in 1965. Hence, a temple dedicated to Nguyen Van Troi can be reached right across the street.
   
   At the height of 14m, with 7 floors, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda has been recorded the highest stupa in Vietnam. Meticulously carved onto the walls of this stupa are ornate designs and patterns that are uniquely Ly-Tran Dynasties.
   
   

   

   Address: 339 Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa, Ward 14, District 3
   Phone: 028 3848 3153

3. Chùa Xá Lợi (Xa Loi Pagoda)
   Xa Loi Pagoda is the first in the city to be built on the base of modern architecture: presbytery upstairs, amphitheater downstairs. It boasts the highest Bell Tower in the country with seven floors and 32 meters in height that was inaugurated in 1961. On the top floor hangs The Great Bell, weighed 2 tons, the sound of which even reverberates its way to Vietnamese art and literature. It was most prominently featured in “Tiếng chuông chùa Xá Lợi” (roughly translated to The sound of Xa Loi Pagoda’s Bell) written by Vien Chau.

   

   
   

   

   Address: 89B Bà Huyện Thanh Quan, Ward 7, District 3
   Phone: 028 3930 7605

New Year Fireworks

And of course, how could we end this list without mentioning the only right thing to do when the clock ticks 12, firework-gazing. Start the new year in style right at your home or for a more direct view and electric atmosphere, move to the center, somewhere near Saigon River and Nguyen Hue street. However, if you do, watch out for your belongings and beware the heavy traffic. The firework display will start at 0h and ends 15 minutes on the 16th of February this year.

The post Top Places to Celebrate Tet Holiday in Saigon appeared first on Maze Vietnam.

Spring Flower Festival is an annual event enjoyed by both the inhabitants of and visitors to the urban residence of Phú Mỹ Hưng in District 7. While 2017’s festival featured various ornamental recreations of a thriving countryside based on the theme “The spring of prosperity” and the image of a chicken, Spring Festival’s theme is “Spring Love of the River”. 

In 2017, the area of the festival was divided into sections, each with its own portrayal of wealth and prosperity, from a garden with luscious fruits (called the ‘spring garden’), a road with elegantly built models of the rooster placed alongside (the ‘spring road’) to a hustling floating marketplace (the ‘spring harbor’). And let us not forget the star of the show – the flowers: everywhere you could find abundant flowers, put in single pots or spread over a field, all of which in full bloom and having many bright colors that will certainly make walking around the area ‘a taste of eye candy’.

Of course, if you were willing to pay, you could always bring those ‘eye candies’ home, as the organizers had conveniently set up over 500 small flower shops to meet every customer’s’ shopping needs. All in all, the Spring Flower Festival is a perfect place to spend time with your family and friends on the days leading up to Tet.

More Photos of Spring Festival last year here:

However, in 2018, Spring Festival held in the Crescent Lake formed by the Thay Tieu River recalls the life on the river of Nha Be – the area that is formed a village on the raft – a long time ago. The festival has a floating market at Ben Xuan (Spring Wharf) area, featuring lots of flower boats at anchor representing the boats of the merchants in the old days, raft houses, and water coconut trees.

Like in 2017, Spring Garden in the festival is expected to attract visitors by the colorful flowers and beautiful plants.

The highlight area of the fesival is on the highest hill which has a 5-meter-long dog statue to mark the Year of the Dog.

Upon arrival at the festival, visitors can come by over 250 booths selling flower and bonsai plants to decorate their homes during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

The Spring Festival on Crescent Lake is opened from February 8 to February 14, 2018.

The other areas like Spring Garden are displayed until February 20, 2018.

The post Phu My Hung Spring Flowers Festival – Tet Holiday in Saigon appeared first on Maze Vietnam.