The lotus, which has been nominated as the national flower, will be the topic of a cultural and artistic festival to open in HCM City on June 26.

The three-day 2015 Southern Lotus Festival at the Crescent Quarter, Phu My Hung Urban Area, District 7, will include four major sections, according to the organisers.

"The Lotus Trade Fair" with rattan frames to hold loads at the end of poles will be about the presence of lotus in the daily and spiritual lives of people, in culture and arts, and in medicine.

"The Lotus Wharf" will bring back old days in the south with river wharves, thatched huts, country girls wearing “ao ba ba” (southern women's shirt), and traditional dishes made of lotus seeds.

"The Lotus Road" will feature art and entertainment shows such as drawing lotuses on “ao dai” (traditional long dress), making cloth and paper lotuses and lotus fans and lanterns, calligraphy, and folk games.

"The Home of Lotus" will showcase the cultural characteristics of the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, which is believed to be home of the lotus in the south. The 10 booths in the section will offer visitors a chance to learn about the cultural features of villages in Dong Thap such as Gao Giong and Xeo Quyt and the province's produce such as Long Khanh scarf.

Culture and art troupes and well-known singers and artists from Dong Thap such as Phi Nhung, My Hanh, Dang Nguyen, and Bui Caroon will perform on the festival's main stage.

Truong Han Minh, one of the top modern Chinese-ink artists, will display his works featuring the flower.

The three-day festival, organised by Phu My Hung Development Co, Sparkling JSC, and the Dong Thap People's Committee, is expected to attract some 10,000 visitors, the organisers said.-VNA