WHEN
Tet takes place from the first day of the first
month of the Vietnamese calendar, starting
on February 16, 2018
WHERE
Tet is celebrated nationwide
HOW
There is a huge surge in road and air traffic
during Tet, so you will need to book your
tickets as early in advance as possible
DOS AND DON’TS- Do give gifts of money in red envelopes
to children if you attend a local family
gathering – and pay your debts before Tet,
as per local belief - Don’t wear black and white on the first
day of Tet, as these colours are associated
with funerals. Instead, wear bright,
colourful clothes
EXPERIENCE
TET NGUYEN DANWhile it coincides with the Chinese
New Year, which is celebrated in so
many countries in Asia, the Vietnamese
Lunar New Year is by far the most
rambunctious and colourful – and
most culturally significant – festival
in the Vietnamese calendar. The
Vietnamese prepare for Tet by cooking
special meals, such as rice cake (banh
chung and banh giay), and dried young
bamboo soup (canh mang).
FESTIVAL MUST-SEE: TET NGUYEN DAN
Vietnam
VIETNAMThey also conduct a thorough spring
clean of their homes. It is custom to
visit relatives and friends on xong nha
(the first day of the new year), and to
pay respects to the ancestors. It’s a
time of big family reunions. Families
also put up a cay neu, a five metre-long
bamboo pole which functions much
in the same way as a Christmas tree:
It is decorated with good luck charms
and trinkets. Like mandarin oranges
are used in Chinese customs, the
Vietnamese also introduce fruit trees
to their homes during the holiday
season: apricot blossoms in the central
and southern regions, and peach
blossoms in the north. Tet is the first
day of spring in Vietnam, and so it’s
also sometimes referred to as hoi xuan
(“spring festival”).
While home, people pay respects to
their ancestors, and also clean graves.
Wealthier families enlist Mua Lanor
dragon dancing troupes to perform in
their homes, and public performances
are also held. The streets are a
cacophony of firecrackers, drums,
bells and gongs – noise aimed at
scaring off evil spirits. Parades are
held with masked performers and
traditional dancers, and there are often
fireworks displays.Wealthier families
enlist Mua Lanor dragon
dancing troupes to
perform in their homes
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