Flower power of Dalat
Dalat is indeed a pearl of Vietnam's central highlands. For Vietnamese people it is a city synonymous with romance. Thanks to a year-round average temperature of 18 degrees it is also considered the City of Eternal Spring.
Due to this special microclimate Dalat has become one of Vietnam's premier agricultural bases where an abundance of flowers as well as fruit and vegetables thrive.
There will be no better time to see the beauty of Dalat in full bloom than at the second flower festival which is to be held on December 15 with an estimated budget of more than $1 million. Organisers hope to attract 120,000 to 140,000 visitors to the week long event, which finishes on December 22.
The Flower Festival will kick off with a grand opening ceremony at 8pm on December 15 and will be followed by a diverse array of events including a flower exhibition, a flower parade around Xuan Huong lake, the Dalat Trade and Tourism Fair 2007, the Tea and Wine Fair at Xuan Huong Park, and a Festival of Wine on the evening of December 21. The event will be finished off in style with the first ever Miss Ethnic beauty pageant at 8pm on December 22, a contest that aims to honour the beauty of spirit, talent and intelligence of ethnic minority Vietnamese women
But remember this is a city of romance and so appropriately enough there will be a mass wedding at which an astonishing 114 couples will tie the knot at the five-star Palace Hotel from December 15 - 17. This number of couples is a tribute to Dalat's 114th birthday celebrated this year.
Dalat tea and wine will be served at the Tea and Wine Fair at Xuan Huong Park from December 15 - 21, an attraction which proved to be a huge success at the first Flower Festival in 2005 when organisers reportedly served 4,500 litres of free wine.
Source Vietnamnet