Lunar New Year in Vietnam - Tet

February 10, 2006

Vietnam celebrates the lunar new year called Tet and the whole country shuts down for over a week as people go to visit their family and friends. People wish each other Happy New Year with the Vietnamese expression « chuc mung nam muoi! » which we repeat like a mantra to each person we meet during this auspicious time. It is a lot like our holiday season of Christmas and New Year. The streets are decorated with fruit trees, especially orange trees in full bloom and trimmed in all sorts of shapes such as a dragon, or simply in a nice bonsai type. We can also find a lot of branches and trees with fresh flower blooms, either prune or cherry trees. Flowers and fruits represent prosperity and abundance, and can be purchased to decorate one’s own home or to give as present to friends and family. However, just like with our Christmas trees, this holiday takes its toll on nature as these trees often come from the wild.

The colors for Tet is red and gold (or yellow) and are used in decoration but also packaging for gifts, snacks and cakes. The whole country is painted red and gold! On new year’s day which in 2005 fell on February 28, a Saturday, it was pandemonium in the streets of Saigon with everyone attending to last minute preparation. Then that same evening, it fell really quiet as if the city had been emptied. The next two days were also very quiet as people visited family and friends, sitting together and drinking tea, chatting, eating. It is also time to think of the ancestors and people burn fake money and paper objects (small alter, decorations, color paper) since they believe that these will reach the dead in the world beyond. It is also time for a big cleaning. People wash entrances, walls, dab a little paint if needed, put some order in the house – all this frenzy to start the new year “fresh”.

Being a foreigner, I knew little of the Tet traditions so I observed without feeling a part of it. Still, our little guest house surprised me when they prepared a traditional evening meal and invited all the guests, the majority foreigners. So we were told to come down at 11 pm and sit at the beautifully set tables: sticky rice with pork, pickled radishes, sweets, snacks, and beer. There were 3 Americans and myself. I had left Rémi asleep in the room and I was worried that he would wake up and find me gone so I didn’t stay long. I can’t say that the food was delicious, but it sure felt festive and special. During the rest of the week, stores, banks and post offices were closed with the exception of a few tourist agencies and restaurants. So it was a good time for me to rest, take it easy tho the heat and humidity was unbearable. I also had Rémi with me at the hotel for the first time, and this would prove more challenging that expected…

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