Saigon tickled pink as trumpet flowers enter bloom

Pink trumpet flowers bloom at 6 a.m. on Vo Van Kiet Boulevard connecting District 1 and 2, home to a large expat community.

The flowers reach full bloom between February and June, wilting after only three or four days.

Trumpet flowers are grown mainly on Vo Van Kiet Boulevard, Ham Nghi Street in District 1, Dien Bien Phu Street in Binh Thanh District or Trung Son Street in Binh Chanh District.

A man uses his smartphone to capture blooming trumpet flowers on a sidewalk of Dien Bien Phu Street in Binh Thanh District.

The trees, native to South America, were imported here in 2009 to beautify the urban landscape.

The pink flowers are perfectly suited to the hot weather and dry soil of southern Vietnam.

Flowers, shaped like bells, grow in clusters of about 5 - 12.

A street sweeper gathers fallen leaves on Ham Nghi Street in District 1.