Hanoi rose festival falls flat of colorful advertisement

By Ngoc Thanh March 3, 2017 | 07:08 pm PT

Visitors paid nearly $7 for more than 300 types of roses, and were disappointed by many wilt and fake flowers.

Hundreds of people from Hanoi and several northern provinces crowded a city park on the opening of the country’s biggest rose festival on Friday, but not many of them were thrilled.

Many visitors were disappointed by the wilt flowers falling off their pots as well as many plastic ones.

The promise of a colorful showcase of more than 300 types of roses from across the world has drawn people from nearby Hai Phong City, Bac Giang and Nam Dinh Provinces, as well as those from Bac Kan and Tuyen Quang, around three hours drive up north, to Thong Nhat Park in Hanoi.

But visitors, who had either bought tickets online or queued for hours at the gate to pay for the VND150,000 (nearly $7) entrance, said the display was not overwhelming at all.

Some people demanded a refund when they were not allowed to enter until around noon, although their tickets say the festival opens at 9 a.m., Vietnam News Agency reported. They were told that the opening ceremony was only open to special guests.

The festival is held by the Bulgarian embassy in Hanoi and the Vietnam-Bulgaria Friendship Association. It will welcome visitors until the International Women’s Day, March 8.

The event has become one of the most anticipated flower festivals in Vietnam, especially after the resort town of Da Lat in the Central Highlands last month canceled its first cherry blossom festival as the trees did not flower as expected.

Watch the mess here.