The Tet Holiday (or Vietnamese Lunar New Year) literally means "the feast of the first day of the year". It takes place on the day of the first new moon therefore between January 21st and February 20th of the solar calendar. The party lasts about a week.
This is a very important holiday with many traditions. Vietnamese have to get on with preparations several weeks in advance. The celebration of Tet is an intense period during which Vietnamese culture expresses itself in the most beautiful way. Travelers visiting Vietnam during Tet week will experience the excitement of a festival that brings the whole country together.
For the Vietnamese, Tet is an opportunity to meet up as a family, cook together and put on their best clothes. It is also the time to honor their ancestors by going to the temple, visit and bring gifts to their loved ones and attend the festivities in the street.
