For me, Tet (Vietnamese New Year) is...

Artist Bui Trong Du:

"Tet is a time for rest and reflection on the past year."

I am very impressed by my childhood memories of Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year). Back then, every time Tet came around, my parents would buy me new clothes, and I would go to the Tet market with relatives to buy peach blossoms and kumquats... At the same time, we had a period when those who had worked all year could rest and reunite with their families. Perhaps that's why the traditional Lunar New Year carries more traditional significance than the Gregorian New Year (Western New Year).

However, besides its traditional value, the fact that Tet lasts too long also causes delays in work. In my opinion, the traditional Tet holiday should be just right, allowing enough time to reminisce about memories and reunions.

Nowadays, many people believe that during Tet (Lunar New Year), they should spend time traveling to places like Sa Pa, Da Lat, Da Nang, or somewhere else to experience the Tet atmosphere. However, most parents haven't yet reconciled with or accepted this way of thinking, and some even take it to extremes, saying it's unfilial. For me, filial piety isn't about being with or visiting parents during Tet; it's about showing them as much care and attention as possible. Perhaps in a few years, this concept will become more open-minded, but currently, it remains deeply ingrained in many Vietnamese families.

The Lunar New Year holiday is a time to rest and recharge for the new year. Celebrating a healthy and meaningful Lunar New Year can generate positive energy for the coming year.

Meritorious Artist Le Tuan Cuong - Director of the Vietnam Cheo Theatre:

"It would be a shame if traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) gradually lost its sacred rituals."

In the old days, Tet in the countryside was very sacred. Families eagerly awaited making banh chung (traditional rice cakes), and everyone would gather together happily. Every Tet, I only wished my parents would take me to visit my grandparents and neighbors to wish them a happy new year. Along with that, receiving new clothes from my parents during Tet felt incredibly sacred and made me very excited for the holiday.

Nowadays, the struggle for daily necessities makes people so busy that many no longer feel the same excitement as they did during Tet (Lunar New Year) in the past. Many people find Tet too tiring with all the rituals and customs, so they seek ways to escape it by going on vacation with their families or celebrating Tet in a faraway place, to avoid the feeling of having to make banh chung (traditional rice cakes) and visit relatives and friends every year.

But I think that weariness is a necessary weariness for each of us today. Young people today don't have the same feelings as we did in the past, because they didn't grow up in that context. It would be a shame if traditional Tet gradually lost its sacred rituals. If that continues, we will gradually lose our Vietnamese identity. If we lose the spirit of Tet now, then our traditional values will be gone.

Singer Tran Thanh Thuy - Runner-up of the Golden Voice of Vietnamese Bolero 2023:

"Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) always fills me with excitement."

I still fondly remember Tet (Vietnamese New Year) in the old days. When I was little, I just looked forward to Tet so my mother could take me shopping for new clothes, and what I remember most about Tet back then was watching my parents wrap banh chung (traditional rice cakes). Now, you can just make a phone call and get as many as you need; they deliver them ready-made, and all we have to do is arrange them on the altar and eat them during Tet.

I no longer feel the excitement that children once felt for Tet. I think that in the past, the elders called it "eating Tet," but nowadays young people call it "playing Tet." Because in the past, only Tet allowed families to reunite and gather around family meals. But now, many families choose to travel somewhere for the Tet holidays. As for my family, every year I maintain the tradition of staying home to cook and offer sacrifices to our ancestors, then cooking for my children and inviting friends over to celebrate.

In the early days of spring, I often go to temples to pray for favorable weather, peace and prosperity for the nation, and for my family's safety and good fortune. Every first day of the Lunar New Year, after preparing the offerings for my ancestors, I call my children to get dressed respectfully and go to the temples near our house. Lighting incense sticks on New Year's Day gives me a warm and happy feeling, so I always pray for the best things to come to my family and everyone else in the new year.

Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) still fills me with excitement. Perhaps for young people today, Tet isn't the same as it was for my generation, because life is so comfortable now that sticky rice cakes can be eaten anytime, not just during Tet, and people don't have to wait until Tet to receive lucky money or wear new clothes. They don't even have to wait until Tet to receive lucky money anymore. This shows that life is so prosperous today that the sacred feeling of Tet is no longer the same as it used to be. The boundaries between ordinary days and Tet seem to have blurred.

For me, the feeling of Tet (Vietnamese New Year) is about choosing kumquats and peach blossoms, going to the Tet flower market. The atmosphere of the days leading up to Tet gives me a very unique feeling, and that kind of space and atmosphere isn't always available. And I always choose a warm and cozy Tet, serving my family, gathering with my children, going to the temple, and wishing my grandparents and parents long life.

Singer Du Thien:

"I no longer feel the same enthusiasm for Tet as I used to."

Just thinking about Tet (Vietnamese New Year) makes me feel excited and homesick. When I was little, I loved Tet. The feeling of being taken by my mother to buy new clothes, getting firecrackers, and watching her wrap big banh chung (traditional rice cakes) – and never forgetting to wrap a small one for me.

Furthermore, I loved Tet (Vietnamese New Year) in the past because I received so much lucky money. Everyone who came to visit gave me lucky money, and wherever my mother took me, people gave me lucky money. That feeling is unforgettable. Yes, that was when I was a child. Now that I'm older, I no longer feel the same way about Tet as I did back then. Instead, I look forward to the new year so I can plan for a music project that I'm passionate about.

Every year, ever since I became a singer, I haven't been able to celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year) with my family. I dedicate all my Tet days to my audience, giving my all to bring them joy. That dedication makes me very happy, and I wish I could always be as busy as I am during Tet.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Phong - Deputy Director of Hong Thai Construction and Service Company Limited:

"Tet is a time to reflect on the past and look towards the future."

I'm an office worker and live far from home. For me, Tet (Lunar New Year) is a time for rest, a chance to "reflect on the past and look towards the future." Around the 28th or 29th of the lunar month, after work, my family and I busily pack our bags and take a bus back to our hometown amidst the crowded streets and traffic. Upon arriving home, I immediately start cleaning the house, buy a peach blossom tree, and then choose some gifts to give to relatives. For me, the most meaningful and emotional time during Tet is the 30th. That evening, my family, including my grandparents and parents, gather together, setting aside the worries of life and enjoying a truly traditional Vietnamese family meal with four generations. My grandparents are over 80 years old, and each Tet brings them the joy of seeing the next generation grow and mature, giving them renewed energy and making them feel younger.

After celebrating New Year's Eve and the Mid-Autumn Festival, I'll sit with my father, sipping a can of beer and listening to the arrival of spring. Two men from two generations sit together; though no words are spoken, I guess my father is as moved as I am, reminiscing about my childhood, the sacred bond of blood that cannot be put into words.

The time leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year) flies by so quickly, it's busy but also meaningful and touching, a time to reflect on the past. The days that follow, like the first, second, and third of the new year, are perhaps for looking to the future, people visiting each other and wishing each other a healthy, happy, and prosperous new year. The holiday goes by so fast, and I always love traditional Tet celebrations like this, because they are steeped in family bonds, community spirit, and Vietnamese traditions.

Ms. Mai Lien - Institute for Strategic Leadership Development Research (SLEADER):

"There is no clear distinction between traditional Tet and modern Tet."

For me, someone born and raised in Hanoi , the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet Nguyen Dan) and the Western New Year evoke very different feelings. Mentioning the Western New Year brings to mind lively parties with friends before the transition from one year to the next, and the bustling crowds throughout the streets. The traditional Lunar New Year in Hanoi, however, has a completely different meaning. Unlike ordinary days, the atmosphere during Tet in Hanoi is surprisingly peaceful.

During Tet (Vietnamese New Year), perhaps the most emotionally charged moments are the evening spent with family watching over the pot of sticky rice cakes (banh chung) and the moment of offering incense and paying respects on the morning of the first day of the new year. Sitting beside the pot of banh chung on the fire, with pots of bamboo shoots and leaves simmering nearby, the fragrant aroma of coriander or pomelo leaves wafting through the air, the crackling sound of burning wood, the whole family gathered around the fire, laughing and sharing family memories that are recalled almost every year, and which are truly touching.

I even remember that throughout my childhood, Tet (Lunar New Year) meant train journeys from North to South, taking us back to our paternal grandparents' village. Tet was the moment of New Year's Eve when we all lined up in the alleys to go to the temple to light incense and pray for peace, to visit the graves of deceased relatives, and to exchange toasts with a glass of wine to us, wishing for a prosperous new year. These moments were truly an effective spiritual tonic, helping us recharge with positive energy and confidently step into a new year with renewed motivation for growth.

I don't make a clear distinction between traditional and modern Tet, nor is it difficult to say whether I'm more inclined towards traditional customs or modern styles when it comes to Tet. I'm someone who combines both trends.

Ms. Thao Quyen - Academy of Journalism and Communication:

"Tet is about returning to our roots."

For me, no matter how modern society becomes, Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) remains intact with its traditional beauty. As someone who lives far from home, only returning to my hometown to reunite and gather with family once or twice a year makes me cherish this meaningful time even more. For me, Tet, no matter what, always retains its original, traditional values. It's going to the market with my mother early in the morning to buy fruits, pork, and sweets; it's staying up on the 30th night of the lunar year to watch over the New Year's Eve pot of banh chung and banh tet; it's dressing up in ao dai on the first day of the new year to wish my grandparents and parents a happy new year and visit the graves of deceased relatives…

I remember when I was a child, around the 23rd of the 12th lunar month, I could clearly feel Tet (Lunar New Year) approaching. On the night of the 23rd, when we send the Kitchen God to heaven, my father would say, "That's the end of the year, the Kitchen God is going to heaven to report on the past year for our family." Then the whole family would gather together, my parents would summarize what we had accomplished in the past year, both in family and work, and the children would summarize their studies.

Now that I'm grown up, I live far from home. The time I spend at home, celebrating Tet (Lunar New Year) with my parents, is the happiest time. People often say that no matter what profession you have or where you live, Tet is the time to reunite with your family. "Going home for Tet" isn't just about going or coming back; it's about reconnecting with your roots.

Thanh Hoai - Dinh Trung (Recorded)

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