Entry to all relics of Hue ancient citadel will be free of charge during the first three days (January 23, 24 and 25) of the lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, which is on, according to the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre.

Emperor Hung-Vuong had many sons. Some pursued literary careers. Others excelled in martial arts. The youngest prince named Tiet – Lieu, however, loved neither. Instead, he and his wife and their children chose the countryside where they farmed the land. One day, toward the end of the year, the emperor met with all his sons. [...]

You may have seen them before. They adorn the walls of Vietnamese restaurants everywhere in the world and Vietnamese overseas hang them up as Lunar New Year approaches. In Vietnam, production of these folk paintings peaks right before Tet as merchants stock up in anticipation of heavy customer demand. These paintings are traditionally used to [...]

One of the most traditional special foods for New Years (Tet) of Vietnamese is Banh Chung or sticky rice cake. Banh Chung is made of sticky rice, pork meat and green bean, every ingredient is wrapper inside a special leaf which calls Dong. Making the BanhChung requires care and precision in every step. The rice and [...]

The festival which best epitomizes Vietnam’s cultural identity is Vietnamese New Year or Tet. Popular festivals play a major role as mirror and guardian of a nation’s cultural identity. In this aspect, the festival which best epitomizes Vietnam’s cultural identity is Tet. Although endowed with honorable credentials, the New Year by Solar Calendar has not [...]

1. Clean and decorate the home Homes are often cleaned and decorated before New Year’s Eve. Children are in charge of sweeping and scrubbing the floor. The kitchen needs to be cleaned before the 23rd night of the last month. Usually, the head of the household cleans the dust and ashes (from incense) from the [...]

Most Vietnamese people wear new clothes to celebrate Tet, or the Lunar new year, in order to promote a fresh beginning to the year. Although Western-style outfits are more convenient for daily chores, the traditional tunic, or ao dai, reappears each Tet. These tunics add to the festival’s formal atmosphere. In the past, all ao [...]

The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology will offer a wide range of cultural activities to ring in the 2009 Lunar New Year from Jan. 29, 2009 to Feb. 1, 2009. The museum will present the dances, songs, traditional games and festivals of Vietnam’s ethnic groups. For the first time, visitors will get the chance to see [...]