From June 17 to 22, the second "On the Wharf, Under the Boat" Fruit Week took place in Ho Chi Minh City. Expanding the tradition of "On the Wharf, Under the Boat" at the beginning of each year with the spring flower market, this fruit week was organized in the form of transporting fruits from boats and selling them right at Binh Dong Wharf.
Fruit week with more than 100 booths, a variety of garden fruits
The event attracted the participation of more than 100 booths, including more than 10 special booths built from bamboo and rattan, creating a unique display space to introduce specialty products from Vinh Long, Ben Tre and Dong Thap provinces. Among them, popular fruits of the West such as durian, mango, plum, guava and longan were all present.
There are also traditional cake stalls of the Southwest region.
Not simply a place to display and sell fruits, this fruit week has become an interesting market, gathering many special and creative activities. The stalls not only perform the art of displaying five-fruit trays, creating mascots from fruits, but also organize many interesting folk games such as making clay figurines, wrapping and cooking bamboo leaf sticky rice cakes, and creating artistic balloons. The festival becomes more lively when people wear traditional costumes such as ao ba ba, conical hats or ao dai,...
Tourists and shoppers wearing traditional ao ba ba outfits
Not only do visitors come to buy clean fruits and enjoy specialties of the West, but they are also very interested in asking sellers and artisans to learn more about the cultural values of the country.
Ms. Vu Thi Ngoc (32 years old, Ho Chi Minh City) said that although she has lived in the city since childhood, she does not know much about the culture of the South and the Southwest. "Festivals or events like this not only stimulate tourism in the city, but also help people and tourists understand more about regional culture. Practical activities will be the most specific and memorable lessons," Ms. Ngoc said.
The fruit stalls are decorated quite eye-catchingly.
Joining the bustling crowd among the fruit stalls, Myra (an Indian tourist) expressed her excitement as this was the first time she had participated in a festival in Vietnam: "I know this is just a small event simulating ancient culture, but witnessing with my own eyes the joyful scene, crowded with buyers and sellers by the river like this is really special, especially seeing the traditional costumes of Vietnamese people, that is great".
There are also snack stalls.
Binh Dong Wharf, located along Tau Hu Canal, has existed since the 19th century and has become a bustling place with the comings and goings of boats doing business and trading in the Saigon - Cho Lon area. "Therefore, the typical cultural value of this area is the image of "On the wharf, under the boat", imbued with the Southern character", Mr. Nguyen Viet Sang (76 years old, Ho Chi Minh City) shared.
In the book "History of land reclamation in the South", writer Son Nam also described: "The river is deep and wide, boats are 10 miles long, following the two tides, the boats row back and forth, singing and rowing, bustling day and night, making the urban area very convenient for traffic in all directions". Boats are not only a means of transportation and transporting goods, but also a place to live, a home for people. Life on the river, on boats, and the hustle and bustle on the wharves have created an indispensable part of the typical culture of the South and the Southwest. It is not only a landscape on the wharves, under the boats, but also a part of the quintessence of national culture. Therefore, the fruit week "On the wharves, under the boats" is not only an event about fruits, but also a forum to recreate that typical culture, bringing participants and visitors strange yet familiar experiences.
Ms. Ngoc Chau - owner of Tam Ngoc garden brings more than 62 unique fruits, attracting many visitors to the booth.
In addition to promoting and introducing, stimulating the purchasing power of Southern garden fruits, on this occasion, the Organizing Committee also hopes to contribute to introducing to the people and tourists the unique culture of "On the wharf, under the boat" of District 8, gradually raising the scale to the traditional Fruit Festival "On the wharf, under the boat" and becoming one of the cultural Festival events of the city.
