The Tet holiday, is the Vietnamese New Year and is the most significant and widely celebrated festival in Vietnam. It is based on the lunar calendar and typically falls in late January or early February.

Tet marks the beginning of spring and is a time for family reunions, feasting, and paying respects to ancestors.

Preparations for Tet is a whole vibe in Vietnam—busy, meaningful, and a little chaotic in the best way. Here’s how it usually goes:

1. Cleaning & refreshing the house

Before Tết, families do a big clean 🧹

·         Sweep out bad luck from the old year

·         Fix broken things, repaint, rearrange

·         Clean the altar very carefully

After Giao Thừa, people avoid sweeping for a few days so they don’t “sweep away” luck.

2. Shopping for Tết

Markets get packed 😄

·         New clothes (especially something new for the first day of Tết)

·         Food, snacks, candies, nuts, seeds

·         Gifts for relatives, elders, teachers

Everything is about abundance and good fortune.

3. Tết food preparation

Food is a big deal 🍽️

·         Bánh chưng / bánh tét (symbol of earth & gratitude)

·         Pickled onions, pickled vegetables

·         Boiled chicken, giò chả, sticky rice
Families often cook together—very traditional, very bonding.

4. Decorating the house

To welcome luck and spring 🌸

·         Mai blossom (South) or peach blossom (North)

·         Kumquat trees with full fruit

·         Red & gold decorations, couplets with wishes

·         Ancestor altar is refreshed with flowers and fruit trays

5. Ancestor worship & year-end rituals

Very important spiritually 🙏

·         Cúng Tất Niên (year-end offering)

·         Invite ancestors to celebrate Tết with the family

·         Prepare offerings for Giao Thừa to welcome the new year and the Kitchen Gods back home

6. Making peace

Before Tết, people try to:

·         Resolve conflicts

·         Start the new year with a clean heart 💛

·         Make wishes for health, peace, prosperity

·         Slow down and be present

Tet festivities usually last for about a week, with businesses and schools closing to allow people to spend time with their loved ones.

Tết (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) is the most important and beloved holiday in Vietnam. It marks the beginning of a new year on the lunar calendar and is a time for family reunions, honoring ancestors, and welcoming good luck.

Homes are cleaned and decorated with flowers, special foods are prepared, and people wear new clothes, give lucky money, and share warm wishes for health, happiness, and prosperity. 🌸