What do you know about Vietnam's Tet?

Lucky money is a small amount of money that can bring good fortune to the new year.

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Although the official vacation lasts only a week, the celebrations last much longer. Here are some things you may anticipate if you travel to Vietnam around the Lunar New Year. 

Tet originated in the early Vietnamese colonies in the Red River Delta, where it marked the start of a new cycle of wet rice farming. The significance of the event today goes far beyond its agricultural roots. The idea of a joyful new beginning spent with family and loved ones is emphasized in Vietnamese culture.

Weeks in advance are spent cleaning, decorating, and freshening up in Vietnam since Tet preparations are a major part of the holiday celebration. Vietnamese people make unique cuisine, buy flowers, get haircuts, shop for new outfits, and even wash their motorcycles. Happy New Year decorations will be placed in every home and workplace, and peach or kumquat trees will be placed in a special spot. The family will have a prosperous and healthy new year if the kumquat trees are larger. As these trees are delivered on the backs of motorcycles, the streets erupt in vibrant color. The nation becomes joyful in anticipation of the lengthy holiday. 

Chung cake is always present in Vietnam Tet

Glossy stickers or paper lanterns portray a zodiac animal for each lunar year, with the year 2023 reflecting the cat. The lucky money envelopes, known locally as red bao li xi or lucky money stacks, are typically given by seniors to younger family members or by managers to staff members. Young Vietnamese who stop receiving lucky money and start giving it are displaying maturity. 

>> Go to Tet flower markets in Vietnam

Food, especially the Chung cake, plays a significant role in the festivities. Folklore holds that the last Hùng King arranged a contest to determine which of his sons would succeed him on the throne in order to avoid having to choose between them. One son in particular stood out because he offered these two salty rice cakes that stood in for heaven and earth. The monarch was impressed with these simple foods and gave him the throne as a result. Families will eat a full day's worth of food all around Vietnam, and they will serve guests candied fruits in lovely boxes.

Parallel sentences

Having a traditional Tet meal is a significant opportunity for family members to get together and reflect on the previous year. The food differs depending on the locale. The staple foods of the North are entire boiled chickens, sticky rice cakes, and nem (fried spring rolls). Among other things, a Southern T't supper includes chicken salad, bitter melon soup, and caramelized pork. Numerous foods represent the end of hardship and the dawn of fresh optimism for the coming year.

The week before Tet in Hanoi, a trip through the Quang Ba Flower Market near West Lake is unforgettable. To bring good fortune into the New Year, shoppers bundle up against the cold and buy the best pink peach boughs they can afford. The Old Quarter's alleyways are the best places to observe Tet Eve because there, hundreds of temporary altars with fruit and cooked chicken offerings appear on the curbs. 

Yellow ochna flowers are used to symbolize the Lunar New Year in the South. Ho Chi Minh City is just as colorful as the rest of the country. The biggest flower show in the nation is held on Nguyen Hue Street in District 1. Join the crowds of people who are appreciating the stunning floral displays, including families wearing new outfits and young women in ao dai holding selfie sticks.