On a high: Puppet and circus performances from the Viet Nam Circus Federation will be staged in HCM City to celebrate Reunification Day. — Photo courtesy of Viet Nam Circus Federation

HCM CITY (VNS) — Streets and parks in HCM City will be alive with festivities in celebration of Reunification Day (April 30).

A special cultural programme at the park in front of the Reunification Palace on Le Duan Street in District 1 is expected to include 4,000 amateur and professional performers on April 30.

The outdoors event titled Dat Nuoc Tron Niem Vui (Joyful Country), organised by the city's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and its partners, will include dozens of music and theatre performances.

Children were treated to puppet and circus performances staged for free by the Viet Nam Circus Union at 7.30pm on Friday at Gia Dinh Park on Hoang Minh Giam Street in Go Vap District.

The performers will offer circus, puppetry, and other art performances. They will present enchanting stories set in the world of dreams for love and peace.

The show has been staged for three nights from yesterday till tomorrow at cultural houses in the rural districts of Cu Chi, Binh Chanh and Hoc Mon.

Primary and secondary students are also encouraged to participate in a cultural trip launched by the city's Children's House this week.

The two-day trip called Em La Chien Si Nho Giai Phong Quan (I'm a Little Liberation Soldier) will offer tours to famous historic sites and museums around the city, including Nha Rong Wharf and Rung Sac Guerrilla Base.

Through their visits, young participants will learn more about the victories of Vietnamese people and army during their wars against the French and American.

Photo exhibitions have also been organised in cultural houses and museums to feature President Ho Chi Minh and historic events during different periods of the country's revolutionary process.

Theme parks and amusement centres, like Suoi Tien and Dam Sen, are preparing for their business season, which will draw several hundreds of thousands of young people on the six-day holiday, which begins tomorrow.

Live music and comedy shows and dragon dance performances will be highlighted.

To attract young customers, shopping centres and supermarkets are also holding promotions.

The Co-opMart chain is offering various processed foods serving people from all three regions – north, south and central Viet Nam.

Dry foodstuff made from Bien Hoa, Nha Trang and Ben Tre agricultural products are among the strongest sellers.

Domestic products of clothing, shoes and accessories are selling like hotcakes.

"The lead-up to the Reunification Day holiday has been marked with increased consumer spending at supermarkets and travelling," said a tourist guide with Saigontourists, the city's leading tourist agency.

Like its competitors, Saigontourist has increased its domestic and foreign tours on the holiday to meet the demand of customers. — VNS