Vietnamese New Year or Tet holiday is a huge celebration lasting 3 days. It starts at the first day of spring following lunar calendar.
In the year 2012 Tet will start on January 23th 2012.

   People care a lot to prepare for the Tet-time in advance by decorating their homes and buying presents. To decorate their homes, people use flowers and twigs of blossoming shrubs.
In the north "Hoa Dao" and small mandarine-trees, in the south "Hoa Mai".

   During the celebration, people visit their relatives, neighbors and colleagues to deliver their gifts and best wishes. Children are the ones who look forward to this time most of all, because they enjoy so much cooking with their families, wearing new clothes and receiving presents.

   During the Tet-holiday, children like to help their parents cooking traditional dishes, especially "Banh Chung" which is made from rice, bean and pork.

   "Banh Chung" is a symbol of appreciation of the descendents to their ancients. Children learn how to cook the ingredients in a large pot on a wood fire. While waiting until the "Banh Chung" is done, the children like to listen to their grandparents talking about the past. From this they can understand more about the history of their family.

   The sticky rice "Xoi Gac" is coloured with the red colour of the "Gac"-fruit and is a symbol for the good luck.

   Children in Vietnam are excited to welcome Tet because they can wear new clothes. They believe that new appearance can help them to get rid of unfortunate things. Since they are all in a new look, there are no differences between the rich and the poor and they can play together without distance. Therefore, new clothes are the best presents for children in the Tet time.

  Another traditional culture about Tet is giving "lucky money" to the children. A little amount of money is put in a red envelope and is given to the children on the first day of the New Year by the elder people. Even though the children might not recognize the value of that money, they understand that the gifts are given to them as a good wish to be healthy and lucky in the new year. Children always treasure the presents they receive.

  All vietnamese people are trying their best in work and studies, in order to greet the new year and to prepare well for the celebration. Vietnamese children, no matter where they live, are looking forward to a holiday with delicious dishes, new clothes and good wishes from relatives, friends and neighbors.

Hanoi, October 2011 
Thuy Dang