Two countries in 9 Days - Day 2 : Birthday + Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner

January 30th 2014 - My Birthday and CNY reunion dinner

Today is my Birthday, to celebrate my birthday, my sister has arranged a morning walk around the flower market and street art in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC)... 

Boat bringing flowers from Mekong Delta

Boat full of flowers

At the art street, got the chance to see how Vietnamese wrote the Lunar New Years artistic painting and calligraphy. The Vietnamese also using the ink and brush like Chinese in China.

Writing the Horsey word

Next, we headed to the Temporary Florist in the middle of the city near the famous Ben Thanh Market. This is an annual event for city folks to buy flower and place in their home for the lunar new year.

Sun flower fields in HCMC

Dragon Fruits as decoration

there are meaning to all these flowers and fruits as the decoration... i don't know what it meant to the Vietnamese thought. Maybe i could find out from my Vietnamese colleagues. :p

Not sure you still remember the Lunar New Year reunion dinner was also my birthday dinner... My sister bought this cake and celebrated my birthday in the afternoon. This Tiramutsu cake was brought from a 68 years old bakery shop. It was super yummy~

My Birthday Cake

My Lunar New years dinner always have it indoors, this year the Lunar New Year was a bit different as we were having Alfresco dinner. Yup,  we were having our dinner at 28 floors with the spectacular sunset...

View from the sun deck

TZ relax on portable hammock

We were having steamboat (hot pot) for reunion dinner. All the stuff has been prepared by sister and mom, my duty was setting up the place and transported those food from the kitchen to the sun deck.

Raw material for Hotpot

Steamboat (Hotpot)

i went back to work on my assignment after the clean up. Anyway, thanks to my sister on arranging my birthday and the reunion dinner... i have a nice birthday and reunion dinner with my family in Vietnam :)