Mr. Xuan (wearing a red scarf) meets up with friends and reminisces about Tet (Vietnamese New Year).
As the year draws to a close, Hanoi seems to become even noisier, more hurried, and busier. Amidst this hustle and bustle, for many years, Nguyen Ngoc Xuan and his friends from Thanh Hoa have maintained the habit of taking time to meet, chat, and reminisce. A warm cup of tea, a tray of candied fruits, and a few old stories about Tet (Vietnamese New Year) in their childhood: dressing up in new clothes, happily receiving lucky money, or gathering to wrap green sticky rice cakes. "Having lived in the capital for so long, Tet flies by so quickly. If we don't sit down together, we'll easily forget," Xuan confided.
Every Tet holiday is different. However, for those who have experienced traditional Tet in their hometowns, like Mr. Xuan, they still hope that those familiar things will be preserved. Therefore, dedicating some time at the end of the year to reminiscing about the past is a way to keep the precious memories of the past alive in today's city.
Stories about Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) are always full of color and emotion. At Mam Tre – a restaurant with a rustic feel in Dao Tan, Hanoi – the old-world charm is preserved through spaces that evoke nostalgia. These include paintings of rice cooked over a wood-fired stove, warming hearts on cold days; fragrant flowers; and villages with ponds, rows of betel trees, and banana bushes… Each painting on the wall now tells a story, evoking distant childhood memories for those who have left their hometowns for the city.
As Tet approaches, the restaurant's ambiance is adorned with familiar items: a bamboo tray filled with various sweets and candies, a few small pots of chrysanthemums on the porch, and soft spring melodies playing in the background. Diners come not only to enjoy traditional cuisine but also to relive the feeling of family reunion around a spring feast in the heart of the city. Sometimes, just a gentle, tranquil note like that is enough to warm the heart.
While the traditional bamboo trays of Tet (Vietnamese New Year) preserve the spirit of Tet for Vietnamese people living far from home, Hanoi's Old Quarter "opens up" Tet – as a cultural feature for foreign tourists to stop, observe, and experience. From the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, hotels in this area are decorated with many traditional Tet scenes. Amidst the old-world atmosphere are vibrant peach blossoms, the dazzling beauty of various flowers, and familiar fruits of Tet. Many tourists take photos, curiously ask about peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, the five-fruit tray, and listen to Vietnamese Tet customs with great interest.
For Vietnamese people, Tet (Lunar New Year) is about returning home. Therefore, creating spring-themed spaces within the hotel grounds conveys a profound and meaningful message: this place is always a home for visitors to return to. In this way, the traditional customs preserved in the heart of the city not only serve as a reminder but also spread, allowing visitors to learn about and discover the warm, welcoming, and hospitable spirit of the Vietnamese Tet tradition.
Not only in hotels or restaurants with a nostalgic atmosphere, but even in the midst of Hanoi's daily life, Tet returns in gentle, subtle ways. It's the cool morning at the end of the year, when the streets are suddenly filled with the scent of banana leaves and freshly cooked sticky rice. It's the pink blossoms of peach trees peeking out from the porches, or the flower vendors carrying the spirit of spring through the narrow alleyways.
In the midst of modern city life, Tet (Lunar New Year) sometimes arrives not with hustle and bustle, but with moments of slowing down. In the aroma of warm tea, where old stories of the year are shared, and in the preserved traditions of the past, one can realize that spring always gently lingers in the heart of the city.
Text and photos: Que Minh
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/net-xua-trong-long-pho-277741.htm
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