Lunar New Year in Vietnam

Tet, the Lunar New Year, is the most important holiday in Vietnam. A country of 91 million people, 45 million motorbikes, and five million cars welcomes the new year with a flourish of colorful flowers: dark pink peach blossoms in Hanoi (north), yellow chrysanthemums in Hué and Hoi An (central), and yellow apricot blossoms in Ho Chi Minh (south).

No matter how humble, every entrance to a home displays flowers that will bring its residents good luck as they welcome the new year. Sidewalks are flooded with flowers and fruit for locals to buy, load on their bikes, and bring home.

Two colors dominate the Tet celebration: red for luck and warmth (little red money envelopes, dried red watermelon seeds, blooming peach trees) and yellow,

the color of gold and royalty (sunflowers, kumquats, blooming apricot trees).

On the last day of the 12th lunar month, the family visits the graves of their ancestors. On the first day of Tet, the celebration revolves around the family and children are given little red envelopes with lucky money inside. Relatives visit each other’s homes, bringing with them gifts of fruit, sticky rice cake, and flowers for good luck.

The Vietnamese believe that the first person you see when you open the door defines your fortune for the entire year. If they choose the right male as their first guest, they will have good luck, prosperity, and happiness.

Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh are significantly different from each other due to their geographical location, climate, and place in history. The people, though, are warm, helpful, and hardworking. Despite what they have historically gone through, today’s progressive Vietnamese are living their lives without rancor, going everywhere on motorbikes, and moving forward. (They also transport everything using their bikes — produce, children, dog, water buffalo, even refrigerators.)

“If you don’t know how to ride a motorbike, you’re not Vietnamese,” our guide said. Tourists quickly learn how to cross the streets of Vietnam, amidst a solid sea of seemingly unstoppable motorbikes — clench your teeth and just do it! These locals

expertly swerve to avoid hitting you.

HANOI

Hanoi is 1,000 years old, the cultural center of Indochine in the early 20th century, the Unesco “City of Peace,” the “little Paris of the North.” Hundreds of beautiful colonial buildings built in the French style, many of them painted yellow, the color of power and which used to be exclusively for the royal family.

Now, government buildings and museums are painted yellow. The Old Quarter, near Hoan Kiem Lake, reflects the Old Hanoi, with stores that sell silk, jewelry, lacquerware and more.

The trip to Halong Bay in the Gulf of Tonkin, a World Heritage site, took three hours and the guide told us that Vietnam is very rich in natural resources: petroleum, good quality coal, coffee, fruits, rubies, and sapphires — ergo, the desire of some countries to exploit and dominate it. The serene boat ride took us through 1,600 limestone islands and islets, much like our Palawan, but on a larger scale.

HUE

Hue was the capital of Vietnam from 1800-1845. The word “Hue” means “harmony.” The Thien Mu pagoda, built in 1601, is located on the left branch of the Perfume River. Beyond the mountains, looking north from the vantage point of the pagoda is the 17th parallel. The best cooks come from Hue, since they traditionally cooked for the Vietnamese royalty. We were also told that the ladies of Hue have tiny waistlines because of the spicy food they eat.

HOI AN

Hoi An is a World Heritage site located near the mouth of the Thu Bon River. It was a trading port in the 15th to the 19th centuries, trading with India, China and Japan and other Asian and European countries. A beautiful 18th-century Japanese bridge graces the middle of pedestrian-only streets (bicycles are the major means of transport). A market selling vegetables, fruits, spices, cooking utensils is a picture of local life. There are a number of signs announcing “cooking classes.” Shops are located side by side on lovely 200- to 300-year-old timber frame buildings: coffee bars and restaurants, stores selling silk, silver, and slippers — all showing the delicate, “French-fused-with-Asian” style of the artistic Vietnamese. And on the way home to the hotel, friendly spa therapists invite weary shoppers to relax in their salons.

How I love Hoi An and can’t wait to get back. Who could ask for more: an ancient town with unpretentious charm, a lovely hotel by the river— the Anantara Hoi An — interesting shopping, and a foot massage at the end of the day.

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The Vietnamese believe that the first person you see when you open the door defines

your fortune for the entire year.

A shop in the old town of Hoi An. Lovely 200-to 300-year-old timber frame buildings line the three main streets of the old town, with stores that sell silk clothes and scarves, silver jewelry, gems.

Pho Hang Gai is one of the shopping streets in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. (“Pho” can mean “street” or “noodle soup” depending on the pronunciation.) The shops — underneath charming, French-inspired colonial structures — sell silk dresses and scarves,...

The Kissing Rock in Halong Bay, a World Heritage site. Some 1600 limestone islands and islets dot the Gulf of Tonkin. Many tourists mimic the rock—and kiss-kiss, hug-hug.

The plaza near Hoan Kiem Lake in the Old Quarter. This is a good place to practice one’s courage to cross the streets of Vietnam amidst a solid sea of motorbikes.

A beautiful 18th century Japanese bridge shows the comingled influence of the Japanese (who stayed on the right side) and Chinese (who stayed on the left side) traders on Hoi An. At that time, the harbor was very busy with ships from Europe and Asia.

The Thien Mu pagoda on the left branch of the Perfume River in Hue. From the vantage point of the pagoda, looking north beyond the mountains, is the 17th parallel.

St. Joseph Catholic Church in Hanoi displays the colors of the new year. As in the Vietnamese home, two trees are important: the peach blossom tree and the kumquat, believed to ward off evil spirits and bring prosperity and happiness to the family.

The ubiquitous motorbike is used to transport people, trees, a dog, a water buffalo, even a refrigerator! “If you can’t drive a motorbike, you are not Vietnamese,” said our tour guide (whose name is Power).

Hoi An is a lantern town. The lanterns decorate the streets and bridges of the old town all year round, not only during Tet.

A flower vendor on the way to the market.