Hàng Mã Street is always bustling in the run up to Tết. VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

Seán Nolan

HÀ NỘI — The Year of the Tiger is drawing to a close and Tết is just around the corner. For those of you who are new to Việt Nam, this might be your first opportunity to experience the celebration of the Lunar New Year in the country.

Lunar New Year, or Tết, is Việt Nam’s biggest holiday and an integral part of Vietnamese culture. It is a time of joy and celebration when people come together with their loved ones to celebrate the start of a new year.

To avoid any unintentional faux pas, there are a few things to bear in mind over the holidays.

Firstly, never enter a Vietnamese home on the first day of the Lunar New Year (January 22) without an invitation from the host. If there was a funeral in your family in the past year, it’s best to wait three days.

On the topic of funerals, black and white are synonymous with funerals, so these colours aren’t appropriate over the Lunar New Year holiday. Instead, stick to red if you want to play it safe (and festive).

One of the highlights of travelling during Tết is the opportunity to experience the traditional celebrations and customs of the holiday.

This includes visiting temples, trying traditional foods such as bánh chưng (sticky rice cakes) and bánh tét (cylindrical sticky rice cakes), and giving lucky money, or lì xì, to children and younger people. Lì xì is typically given in red envelopes and is believed to bring good fortune.

Tết is also a great time to visit the flower markets, which are an integral part of the Tết celebrations. These markets are filled with a wide variety of flowers and plants, and it is customary for people to buy peach blossom trees (in the north) and yellow apricot blossom (in the south).

Overall, being in Việt Nam during the Lunar New Year is a unique and enriching experience that offers the chance to immerse yourself in the country’s rich culture and traditions.

However, it is important to remember that it is a busy and festive time – be prepared for businesses, including restaurants, stores, and tourist attractions, to be closed or only open for limited hours, and for transportation to be more difficult to book as people travel to be with their families.

However, navigate the above and it is a truly wonderful time of year.

Chúc mừng năm mới and see you in the Year of the Cat! VNS

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