Tet holiday - Going far away is for returning home.

Tet is an occasion for those who live far from home to return and reunite with their families, gathering around the spring feast with green sticky rice cakes, pickled onions, and a bowl of bamboo shoot soup with the rich flavors of their homeland...

Nothing beats a family meal together.

The winding road leading into Trinh Xa 1 village, Yen Ninh commune, is more vibrant in the days leading up to the Lunar New Year of 2026 (Year of the Horse) with the abundance of peach blossoms and kumquats. In the small house at the end of the village belonging to Mr. Nguyen The Bac's family, spring has arrived at the doorstep, filling the air with the cheerful voices and playful laughter of children, and the rhythmic sounds of chopping and slicing...

At 74 years old, with failing eyesight and trembling hands, Mr. Bac is still meticulously teaching his grandchildren how to wrap banh chung (Vietnamese rice cakes). Every step he takes, from preparing the banana leaves, arranging them in the mold, adding the filling, tying the string, and wrapping the cake, is done with utmost care, as if imbuing it with the joy and happiness of a prosperous new year. With a warm, deep voice and eyes beaming with joy at finally being reunited with his children and grandchildren for Tet after so many years, Mr. Bac shared: “My family has three children, one son and two daughters, all married and living in Ho Chi Minh City and Vinh Long province. Due to work and financial circumstances, they only manage to come home for Tet every few years. This year, they came home for Tet from the 23rd of the 12th lunar month. For us elderly people, Tet is most complete when our children are together, when we see them healthy, when we hear them talk about their work and lives far away, and above all, when we feel the full presence of our family. That’s why I’m so happy and excited, and I’ve prepared for Tet more than usual. I also wish that time would slow down so that my children could be home more and we could see them and our grandchildren for longer.”

This year, our children and grandchildren came home for Tet from the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month. For us elderly people, Tet is most complete when our children are together, when we see them healthy, when we hear them talk about their work and lives far away, and above all, when we feel the full presence of our family.

Mr. Nguyen The Bac (Yen Ninh commune)

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang's family (residents of Vinh Long province) took this photo while waiting for a bus to return to their hometown in Thanh Hoa province to celebrate Tet.

After so many years, returning to her beloved home, the place where she was born and spent her childhood, is the greatest joy. Above all, it's the joy of gathering together, inquiring about the health of her parents and siblings during the Lunar New Year. Nguyen Thi Hang (living in Vinh Long province), the second daughter of Mr. Bac, said with a choked voice: "For my husband, children, and me, nothing is happier than returning home to celebrate Tet with our parents. For me, Tet is simply about helping my mother wrap banh chung (traditional rice cakes), helping my father tidy the ancestral altar, and having a full family meal together in the evening, asking about each other's well-being – that's enough happiness."

As she spoke, memories of Tet (Vietnamese New Year) from the past, wrapped up in distant recollections, flooded back into Ms. Hang's mind. She then recounted, "In our village, Tet usually begins around the 23rd of the 12th lunar month, when people perform the ritual of offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God and the Stove God. Then, from around the 25th of the 12th lunar month onwards, families start going to visit ancestral graves and have ancestral worship ceremonies. This is an important act, showing filial piety and gratitude from descendants to their ancestors."

The Tet (Lunar New Year) atmosphere is most evident from the 27th to the 29th of the 12th lunar month. During this time, the market begins to fill with stalls overflowing with goods, from clothes, sweets, Tet preserves, flowers, and fruits. Adults and children excitedly flock to the market, chatting and laughing, exchanging greetings about Tet preparations. Around this time, many families begin slaughtering pigs, wrapping green sticky rice cakes (banh chung) and other local specialties such as banh gai, banh la rang bua, and banh nhan, and preparing the five-fruit offering and the ancestral worship feast.

But the most excited were the children, who stayed up all night, wrapped in warm blankets, watching the pot of sticky rice cakes simmer. A three-legged stove, made of bricks, was placed in the corner of the yard, using firewood and rice husks to boil the cakes. When the cakes boiled, the light, smoky aroma of the wood permeated the banana leaves, creating a distinctive fragrance unique to Tet (Vietnamese New Year). Gathered around the pot, the faces of the elderly and children flushed in the cold night, their eyes intently watching the cakes being taken out, their joy multiplied many times over when they finally got to enjoy a tiny sticky rice cake.

Then, on New Year's Eve, at the moment when heaven and earth harmonize, children and grandchildren gather with their grandparents and parents, lighting incense at the ancestral altar and exchanging New Year's greetings for good health, peace, prosperity, and well-being. On the morning of the first day of the new year, the entire extended family, including aunts, uncles, and grandparents, put on new clothes, chat, enjoy the lively atmosphere of spring, and visit relatives and friends to wish them a happy new year. These images remain deeply etched in everyone's minds, as an irreplaceable part of their memories.

“Time has quietly flown by, and it’s been several years since I got married and moved to Vinh Long province. This year, my whole family finally managed to return to our hometown to celebrate Tet with my parents, to visit our familiar house, the courtyard where we used to play with my siblings when we were little, and most importantly, to be together for a family meal with green sticky rice cakes, pickled onions, and a bowl of sweet and savory bamboo shoot soup… Tet like this is already complete and very happy,” Ms. Hang shared.

The joy of family reunion

Around noon on the 24th day of the 12th lunar month, the car carrying Ms. Le Thi Tuyet and her husband (from Thieu Toan commune), returning home for Tet (Lunar New Year), stopped in front of their house. Their suitcases were overflowing with clothes and gift bags. Despite her hurried steps and tired face, Ms. Tuyet's eyes couldn't hide her joy and excitement at finally being home after a whole year to see her children and parents. The whole family embraced each other, excitedly catching up after so many days apart.

Ms. Le Thi Tuyet's family celebrates their reunion.

Happily taking out each toy and gift box bought from Laos to give to her children and parents, Ms. Tuyet shared: "My husband and I have been working in Laos for many years, leaving our children at home to be cared for by our parents. Being far from home, family, and children, we are very sad, especially during Tet (Lunar New Year), when that sadness is multiplied many times over. When I was in Laos, what I missed most was the local market on the last day of the year, the moments of gathering with the whole family to wrap banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) to prepare for Tet, and then cleaning and decorating the house in a warm and joyful atmosphere. That's why, despite the distance, every Tet my husband and I always arrange our work to return to our homeland."

“Returning to my hometown, I can feel the atmosphere of spring knocking on the door. The countryside here also takes on a very unique beauty; houses are meticulously cleaned, gardens and roads are clean and tidy. Well-off families hang red couplets, display Tet paintings, buy apricot and peach blossoms, and hang lanterns brightly on their porches. In just a few days, the Year of the Horse 2026 will officially arrive. Tomorrow, I will take my parents and children to the market to shop for Tet, and then the whole family will wrap and cook banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) together and gather around a warm Tet meal,” Ms. Tuyet said happily.

With only a few days left until the Year of the Horse 2026 officially arrives, tomorrow I will take my parents and children to the market to shop for Tet (Lunar New Year), then the whole family will wrap and cook banh chung (traditional rice cakes) together and gather around a warm Tet meal.

Ms. Le Thi Tuyet

Spring has arrived, bringing with it joyful and happy melodies, and the sounds of laughter and conversation that seem to dispel the difficulties and burdens of the past year... Throughout the villages and streets, carts carrying peach blossoms and kumquats, people laden with gifts and presents, create a bustling and busy atmosphere. And then, those who have left their hometowns hurry on their way to that special journey at the end of the year - the journey back to their homeland to celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year).

Nguyen Dat

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/ngay-tet-di-xa-la-de-tro-ve-278423.htm