8 years ago, Hanoi Flower Festival ended with the disorder caused by people scrambling for flowers. A foreign passer-by then shook his/her head and said: Crazy! Today’s flower festivals and street carnivals have been regularly organized, but instead of snatching and rushing forward for flowers, Hanoi people have complied with regulations while organizing and attending the events.
In 2010, when the workers of the Green Park Company were removing waste soil and sand to restore the original state of the street, there was a fight and quarrel between members of the Organizing Committee, between the Organizing Committee with workers of Green Park Company, and between residents with security guards and policemen.
The reason for that is the unequal allocation of flowers and plants after the festival (?!). People scrambled for some Dutch tulips which were exhibited for days in the festival. The flower festival ended with the disorder in front of Ly Thai To monument as if it was a chaotic market.
After such fight and quarrel for flowers, the cultural management unit no longer held any community events here. Event in firework event on the occasion of New Year’s Eve and a few music stages, a lot of things happened: there was much waste in Hoan Kiem lake area; people and motor vehicles flocked to the central area, the peaceful streets of Dinh Tien Hoang, Le Thanh Tong, Trang Thi, etc. became crowded.
The former director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (currently known as the Department of Culture and Information) wrote in his memoir: “Someone advised me to hold flower festivals in My Dinh area, instead of Hoan Kiem lake area, otherwise consequences will be unpredictable when people rush there”. It means that we should not organize public events in Hoan Kiem lake area, because some bad characters of residents may then show up in front of foreigners.
But that is not the same today. From the beginning of 2018, every weekend at Hoan Kiem lake area, people might immerse themselves in the space of Japanese Sakura Festival, visit the European village in the heart of Hanoi, or dance, walk on stilts, or enjoy art performance by Russian, Belgian people, etc. Festival space extends from the area of Ly Thai To monument to Octagon House to Children’s Palace.
Each event welcomed tens of thousands of participants, in which Hanoians come to the festivals to enjoy the beauty, take photos, visit food stands, enjoy art performance of other countries. No one picks flower or tree branches or steal some items as it was in many years ago.
For more than 2 years, the streets around Hoan Kiem lake became a walking space at weekends. Initially, it was only the cultural space of Hanoi where Hat Xam and Hat Ca Tru was performed. Recently, Thai people from Tuyen Quang, Tay people from Cao Bang, and people from Southern Vietnam also come here to perform Hat Then, Dan Tinh, Don Ca Tai Tu in Hoan Kiem lake area. At the end of 2017, in the event, “Cultural space of Mong people from Ha Giang in Hanoi” at Octagon House, Mong flute artist K’ho Lung played flute for more than an hour. After the performance, the artist happily smiled looking around and seeing people listen to him. “Hanoians listen to the flute sound so passionately” – said artist K’ho Lung.
And these days, not only domestic cultural exchange events between provinces and cities, but also international cultural events have been organized in Hoan Kiem lake area. At the event “European Cultural Days” in Hoan Kiem lake area in early May, 2018, looking at the image of Ms. Lia Nijs who is living and working in Hanoi, posing with a pair of traditional wooden clogs, it can be seen that Hoan Kiem lake area has become a space of civilized culture for Hanoians and foreigners to visit.
According to Urban Economic Journal