A special ao dai (traditional dress) collection by designer Vu Viet Ha, inspired by roses to honour Vietnamese women’s beauty, was presented at the opening ceremony of a rose festival in Hanoi on October 14.

Hundreds of photos featuring the beauty of roses and of women are on display at the festival.

Hundreds of visitors rushed to the festival at Thang Long Rose Park, the first of its kind in the capital, which runs until October 22.

Dao Manh Hung, the park’s director, said the event will help participants learn about the history of roses and bring together rose lovers.

“We organised the event on occasion of Vietnamese women’s day on October 20 to honour the beauty of women, which is often compared to roses. We hope the festival is a meaningful event to honour women, half the world’s population, and helps connect nature lovers in the beautiful autumn season,” Hung said.

Three hundred different species of roses are on display at the rose park located in Hanoi’s Thanh Tri district. Located in Huynh Cung village, the park has long been a favoured destination for rose lovers in the capital.

With a total area of around 45,000sq.m, it is the largest park of its kind in the city and houses thousands of rose plants.

At the week-long event, visitors can discover various varieties of roses, enjoy rose tea from Bulgaria, love songs performed by the capital’s street artists and see hundreds of photos of roses and women on display at the festival.

Experts will share with visitors stories about the origins of roses and instruct visitors on how to take care of rose plants.

Awards will be given to houses with the most beautiful rose-decorated balconies.

Various kinds of rose plants, souvenirs made from roses and cosmetics from Bulgaria are being sold at the event at discounted prices.

“Queen Rose” Bui Thi Thanh Huong, who won the title at the first-ever Bulgarian Rose Festival in Hanoi last year, sponsored by the Bulgarian Embassy, came to the festival to share stories about the secret of preserving love in marriage.

Ngo Ngoc Toan, chairman of Tam Hiep commune of Thanh Tri district said the region is proud of this rose park which was created by Hung who was born in the region.

 “We will create favourable conditions to encourage Hung to enlarge this park, so it can become an interesting eco-tourism destination, creating a new tourism attraction for nature lovers in Hanoi,” he said.

VNA