Traditional Tet in three regions

In the early days of the twelfth lunar month, each family is busy cleaning their houses, preparing offerings for worship, and pruning apricot blossoms so that the trees can bloom in time.

Tet in all three regions of Vietnam Author Le Rin's book depicts the atmosphere of traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) celebrations in Northern, Central, and Southern Vietnam through a series of watercolor illustrations. The publication features customs and characteristic activities of each region, from wrapping banh tet (traditional rice cakes) by the warm fire and making paper flowers in Thanh Tien village (Hue), to the art of crafting lion heads in Cho Lon (Ho Chi Minh City), and the Sa Dec flower market ( Dong Thap ). Through this, the book evokes nostalgic memories of Tet, helping young people understand more about their roots and the interplay between tradition and modernity.

The book "Tet in Three Regions" is written in a bilingual English-Vietnamese format. Photo: Thai Ha Books

Through this series of paintings, the artist incorporates cultural spaces and lessons of humanity about love and sharing. Customs such as painting Dong Ho folk paintings, making coconut jam, and playing Tam Cuc card game are also depicted in a highly visual style.

The book devotes much of its content to describing the Vietnamese people's preparations for the Lunar New Year, from the 15th day of the 12th lunar month to the third day of Tet. One of the signs that Tet has arrived is when people erect the New Year's pole with the belief that it will ward off evil spirits, worship the Kitchen God and the Stove God, and wrap banh chung and banh tet (traditional rice cakes) to offer to their ancestors. Afterwards, family members gather to arrange the five-fruit tray, shop for Tet at the flower market, and prepare familiar dishes such as pickled onions, fried spring rolls, and pork sausage.

The book comes with a box of cards. Tet in all three regions of Vietnam. With 30 puzzle pieces on the theme of spring, the card set is condensed from the content of the publication, conveying small stories to provide readers with a new reading experience. These include moments of the whole family preparing the New Year's Eve offering with traditional dishes and Tet sweets, or scenes of the family going to the market together to choose branches of apricot and peach blossoms. The cards can be used to organize folk quiz games, or simply to share stories about Tet.

Illustrations of banh chung (Vietnamese sticky rice cake) and pickled onions for Tet (Vietnamese New Year). Photo: Thai Ha Books

Le Rin, 35 years old, from Ninh Thuan province, is a food illustrator. She graduated in [field of study]. Industrial design (Saigon Technology University), he worked as a graphic designer in the fashion industry for four years. After a motorbike trip from Ho Chi Minh City to Quang Ngai, he came up with the idea of drawing regional specialties, such as sour fish soup, braised snakehead fish, and banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches). He has released several artbooks such as Delicious Vietnam, a travelogue of Vietnam's landscapes .

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