>> Which flower will be Vietnam’s national flower?

In Vietnam’s new campaign to select a national flower, the lotus seems to be the front-runner.

Pink lotus set to win campaign for the a national flower

As of January 1, 2011, in an online referendum on the matter, the lotus has received 40.3% of the votes, beating out the yellow apricot, at 33.6%, bamboo with 9.5% and the peach blossom with 8.2%. The areca, orchid tree, rice flower and waterlily are barely holding on with only a marginal percentage of votes.

Based on these returns, the referendum’s managing board will hold an exhibition unveiling the lotus as the likely national flower during the Tet holiday. The event will take place in Hanoi, at the Vietnam Exhibition Centre for Culture and Arts on January 25-30. The exhibition will show various roles the lotus has played in Vietnamese spiritual and cultural life, and will include displays of traditional art, photography, handicrafts and gastronomy.

The race hasn’t been clinched yet, though. The board will continue accepting votes from the public via the internet. They also expect collect the opinions of an additional 15,000 visitors to the event. Voting tables will be set up around the Ho Chi Minh Mousoleum for the occasion.

Official results for the contest for the national flower will be disclosed on January 29, by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports in conjunction with the municipal government of Hanoi at a show called “Viet Lotus Spirit”.

Opinions are also being collected for the selection of the official national clothing and alcoholic beverage.

Those interested in making their opinions heard can do so at various online forums, including the one below:

http://forum.zing.vn/thao-luan-cac-van-de-noi-bat/binh-chon-quoc-hoa-viet-nam/t533967.html