Vietnamese New Year 2022 (Tết) - 7 Things You Need to Know

26th Jan 2022

1. What is Tet in Vietnam?

Tet Nguyen Dan, shortened to Tet, is Vietnam’s Lunar New Year and is the most important annual celebration and public holiday in Vietnam spanning 5-7 days.

Tet celebrates the beginning of a new year as well the coming of spring.

Celebrated as a time of renewal, Tet serves as an opportunity for Vietnamese people to pay homage to their ancestors and have family reunions.

2. When is Tet?

Tet is based on the lunar calendar and is generally celebrated on the same day as the Chinese New Year. The date changes annually but falls between mid-January and late February. In 2022, Tet Festival will fall on Tuesday, February 1st.

3. Mascot of the Year?

2022 is the year of the tiger. Tiger is known as the "Lord of the jungle". It symbolizes power, success, fame, and lots of luck and fortune

4. How to Celebrate Tet festival?

Before Tet, Vietnamese families will normally spend a lot of time cleaning their homes. This action symbolizes washing away the bad luck from the previous year and making room for the coming new year.People shop around markets to buy decorations for their homes: flowers, new furniture, or buy ingredients to cook traditional Tet food or new clothes for wearing when visiting friends at the New Year.

Wrapping Chung cake is a traditional custom, bringing the atmosphere of the Tet holiday that many families still keep to this day

During Tet, Vietnamese people will visit relatives and friends to celebrate the new year. Children will receive red envelopes with lucky money. People go to pagodas to pray for a smooth and peaceful new year.

5. Tet Decorations in Vietnam

During Tet, you will see red and yellow everywhere. Like the Christmas tree, every house displays a peach blossom tree, kumquat tree, or apricot tree to celebrate Tet.

Not only decorating the house, but the altar is also something that gets more attention on Tet. It is decorated with a tray of five fruits, beautiful flowers, and colorful candies.

6. What to Eat during Tet?

Tet is a time of indulgence with an array of delicacies served in every family. Traditional dishes are indispensable during Tet such as Chung cake, spring rolls, frozen meat, pickled onions, etc. In fact, each region will have its own distinct dishes. But one thing in common is the harmony between the ingredients and usually only appears on Tet holidays

7. Tet Festival Greetings — How to say Happy New Year in Vietnamese

Vietnamese is a tonal language and can be a challenge to learn. However, during the Tet season, locals will understand you as soon as you start with a big smile and say “chúc mừng năm mới”.

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