- First day of the lunar year
- Late January to mid February
- Peach and apricot blossoms
- Vietnam and Vietnamese worldwide
Where it began
Tet Nguyen Dan means the feast of the first morning of the first day. It follows the lunar calendar shared with China, but has its own Vietnamese customs.
One story tells of a prince who won his father's throne by making two simple rice cakes, a square one for the earth and a round one for the sky. These are banh chung and banh day, still made for Tet.
Another custom says the Kitchen Gods ride a carp to heaven a week before Tet to report on each family. People release carp into rivers and lakes to help them on their way.
How it grew over time
Ancient times
Rice farmers marked the end of one season and the start of the next with offerings to ancestors.
Medieval period
Kings kept new year rites at court, and the custom of rice cakes spread.
20th century
Flower markets and big city celebrations grew in Hanoi and Saigon.
Today
Millions travel home, and Vietnamese communities abroad hold fairs and parades.
How it is celebrated in different places
Northern Vietnam
Homes are decorated with pink peach blossom branches.
Southern Vietnam
Yellow apricot blossoms, called hoa mai, bring colour and luck.
Ho Chi Minh City
A long flower street opens in the city centre for the holiday.
US, Australia and France
Vietnamese communities hold Tet fairs with food, music and lion dances.
Tet moments
Tet today
Families eat banh chung, boiled chicken and pickled vegetables, and children get lucky money in red envelopes. The first visitor of the new year is thought to bring luck, so families often invite a kind, cheerful person.
