My Tet (Vietnamese New Year) moment: Bringing the spirit of Vietnamese Tet to Laos for a spring trip.

A Vietnamese New Year's feast in Laos.

My first trip to Laos left me with countless emotions, memories, and new lessons. Laos is a truly peaceful country with picturesque landscapes and simple, kind-hearted people.

Bringing the flavors of Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) from our homeland to our brotherly countries.

Traveling approximately 900km from Nuoc Ngam bus station ( Hanoi , Vietnam), my Lao friends and I spent about 24 hours to reach Savannakhet provincial bus station (Laos), including immigration time.

Knowing that I was a Vietnamese visiting Laos to celebrate the Lunar New Year, the locals welcomed me warmly and thoughtfully, treating me like a long-lost relative. Above all, during conversations, everyone constantly mentioned the friendship between Vietnam and Laos, a very special and close relationship, and sang me songs like: "You are in the West, I am in the East / Two countries hear the same rooster crowing at dawn / The land of Champa, the land of the Dragon and Fairy / Walking together to build a bond of love / The brotherly love between Vietnam and Laos, the brotherly love between Vietnam and Laos / Will never fade."

In response to the warm hospitality of the Lao people, I personally went to the market to buy sticky rice, mung beans, pork, vermicelli, rice paper for spring rolls, and other ingredients and spices to create a Vietnamese Lunar New Year feast right here in their country, inviting everyone to enjoy the flavors of Vietnamese Tet.

The author prepared this Vietnamese New Year dish while in Laos.

At 22 years old, this is honestly the first time I've ever prepared a complete Vietnamese Tet (Lunar New Year) feast with my own hands. I washed the rice, soaked the beans, marinated the meat... to wrap the banh chung (traditional rice cakes). Without dong leaves or banh chung molds like in Vietnam, I had to wrap the cakes in banana leaves.

Although the rice cakes are made by clumsy hands and are not perfectly square or beautiful, the "finished product" is considered by the Laotians to be "xẹp lãi," meaning it's very delicious.

For me, Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) wouldn't be complete without fried spring rolls and pickled onions to cut through the richness of other dishes, so I searched for the ingredients to make these two dishes. The Tet feast I prepared in Laos consisted of six dishes: banh chung (sticky rice cake), fried spring rolls, gio (Vietnamese sausage), pickled onions, boiled cauliflower, boiled chicken, and a bowl of dipping fish sauce.

Seeing me cooking Vietnamese dishes, the Lao people were quite enthusiastic and expressed their desire for me to teach them. They confided that they wanted to learn how to cook so that when I return to Vietnam, they can all make the food themselves, because Vietnamese dishes are very delicious, especially banh chung (sticky rice cake) and nem ran (fried spring rolls).

Laotians are learning to cook Vietnamese dishes.

Then the Lao people showed me how to make Lao rice cakes and how to make flower towers to offer during holidays.

The ingredients for making banh chung (Vietnamese sticky rice cake) in Laos include sticky rice, black beans, ripe bananas, salt, and sugar. All the ingredients are wrapped in fresh banana leaves, tied tightly with string, and boiled for about 5 hours.

The flower towers used for offerings in Laos are beautifully crafted. Although made from only two main materials—banana leaves and flowers—their creation is very elaborate, requiring meticulousness and skillful hands.

Learn how to make Lao-style sticky rice cakes (Banh Chung).

And learn how to make flower towers.

Discover new things.

Savanakhet (Laos) is a province bordering Mukdahan (Thailand) across the Mekong River. While there, I didn't miss the opportunity to watch the sunset over the famous river. The image of the brilliant orange sun reflecting on the river with boats docking created an incredibly romantic scene, like something out of a fairy tale.

A picturesque sunset scene on the Mekong River.

Besides Savannakhet province, I also have many friends in the capital city of Vientiane (Laos). Therefore, after spending several days in Savannakhet, I took a bus to Vientiane, about 500km from Savannakhet, to explore new and interesting things.

Upon arriving in Vientiane, my Laotian friends took me to visit some of the city's special landmarks. First was That Luang Temple, a famous Buddhist structure with a history of over 450 years, and a place that embodies the culture and beliefs of the local people.

Standing 45 meters tall, the temple comprises a main tower and surrounding smaller towers, all beautifully gilded. Known not only as That Luang Pagoda but also as Laos' famous Golden Pagoda, it attracts numerous visitors from all over the world.

Laos has a large number of temples, with approximately 1,400 temples throughout the country. Temples in Laos are typically built on central grounds, with the main gate facing west and secondary gates on the other three sides.

A Buddhist temple complex typically consists of three main buildings: the Buddha Hall, the Buddha Hall, and the Monks' Quarters. The Buddha Hall is the most important, reserved for monks to perform Buddhist rituals. The Buddha Hall is the common living area for monks and a place for devotees to worship. The Monks' Quarters are the living quarters for the monks.

The temple complex also includes several auxiliary structures such as a library, a drum tower, and a guesthouse. Furthermore, the Lao temple complex contains a system of stupas of two types: stupas enshrining relics of the Buddha or related to the Buddha, and stupas containing the remains of the deceased.

That Luang Temple - the famous golden temple of Laos.

Next, we visited Patuxay Gate, considered a must-see destination for tourists visiting the Lao capital.

Patuxay Arch is a symbol of victory for the Lao people, built in 1957 to commemorate the heroes and martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the resistance against the French invaders in Laos; therefore, it is also known as the Monument to the Unknown Soldier.

Standing on the top floor (7th floor) of the tower, we can take in all the best aspects of this peaceful capital city.

Patuxay Gate (Laos).

My friends also took me to admire the Lao National Assembly , a building that was a gift from the Party, State, and people of Vietnam to the Party, State, and people of Laos. It is a symbol of the traditional friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, two Governments, two National Assemblies, and the people of Vietnam and Laos.

Lao National Assembly building.

Leaving Laos after 15 days of close connection, I will forever cherish the image of a beautiful, peaceful brotherly country with gentle, hospitable people and breathtaking scenery.

Photo: DIEU HUYEN

The "My Tet Moment" contest

The "My Tet Moment" contest is an opportunity for readers to share beautiful moments and unforgettable experiences from Tet with family and friends.

Each article should be a maximum of 1,000 words in Vietnamese, and including photos, photo series, or videos is encouraged.

Your entry should share your favorite destinations and unique places to visit. Through your story, you will help many people discover new lands and must-see locations for spring travel.

It could be an article documenting moments of friends and family gathering, celebrating Tet (Lunar New Year), and having fun together.

These are notes and accounts of personal experiences from trips and business trips away from home during the Lunar New Year holidays that you have experienced.

The photo contest highlights the beauty of landmarks, places, or regions you've visited. This is an opportunity to tell the story of the vibrant colors and beautiful scenery of Vietnam or the countries you've been to.

From January 25th to February 24th , readers can submit their entries to khoanhkhactet@tuoitre.com.vn.

The awards ceremony and closing event are scheduled to take place in March 2024. The prize structure includes 1 first prize (15 million VND in cash and gifts), 2 second prizes (7 million VND and gifts), and 3 third prizes (5 million VND and gifts).

The program is sponsored by HDBank.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khoanh-khac-tet-cua-toi-dem-huong-tet-viet-du-xuan-dat-lao-20240224135454614.htm