Published:  00:00 Sunday - April 12, 2009

The 2009 Japanese cherry blossom festival in Hanoi has not lived up to visitors’ expectations as they claimed that the trees did not blossom as beautifully as they did last year.

Many Hanoians gathered in front of the Quan Ngua Sports Palace very early in the morning of April 12 in hopes of entering and seeing for themselves the beauty of the Japanese cherry trees. However, some left the palace in disappointment.

“I came here at 07.00 and did not know that it is due to open at 10.00,” said Nguyen Thi Chau, a retired pensioner. “I have been waiting outside the palace for so long. I wonder if the trees will be beautiful this year.”

A student from the private-invested Phuong Dong university said, “I have never seen Japanese cherry blossoms, so I came here very early and have been waiting for hours.”

An elderly couple, Ngo Van Hue and his wife, complained that they had to leave the palace even though it was not opened yet.

“We walked here because our house is not far away, but we could not wait until they open the doors at 10.00,” said Mr Hue.

Due to excited crowds outside, the organising board finally decided to open the doors at 09.15, 45 minutes earlier than scheduled.

More than 400 branches of Japanese cherry which had been transported from Japan by air were arranged into four big trees. However, most visitors felt disappointed that the trees were not as fresh as they were last year.

“The flowers seemed to be discoloured,” said Nguyen Xuan Thang, a visitor to the festival.

“I went to a similar festival held at Giang Vo exhibition centre last year and I think that the flowers were more beautiful than those this year,” said a woman from Truong Dinh residential area.