Tet season in Nha Trang, Vietnam

We spent a full month in Nha Trang, enjoying the sea breezes, beaches, and abundant variety of restaurants. During our stay we were able to enjoy the Tet celebrations (Vietnamese New Year). Tet disrupts daily life and travel in Vietnam, but we were pleased to find that it was an enriching and rewarding time to be here.

In much of Vietnam Tet is a slack time in the life cycle of the farming communities, where 60% of the citizens are employed. It’s a time of renewal: fresh paint, new decor, and paying off all debts, a clean sweep for the coming year.

For a couple of weeks preceding Tet pop-up shops appear on the sidewalks along a busy street. Large potted trees full of flowers or fruit are a very popular item, and the trucks sit nearby with a crane onboard, ready to lift a tree onto the back of a motorbike, or go deliver a tree to a home.

Large decorative items are also a big-purchase item for the holiday, to adorn the buyer’s place for the long term. A home may have one or two of these items in the courtyard or foyer. Hotels and businesses often have more-extravagant versions.

These larger plants and artwork that can be lifted by two people cost about $150 (3 million dong) and upwards. The huge pieces will of course cost much more.

I also enjoyed seeing the smaller pieces for sale, with ingenious ways of introducing elements of springtime and wishes for good luck and prosperity.

One week before Tet the city went silent, as the pervasive building boom took a rest. All of the construction workers retreated to their hometowns, mostly north of Nha Trang. On Tet Eve most but not all shops shut down for the upcoming 5 days, and quiet celebrations began in homes all around town. Rich snacks were prepared, and visiting time began. Small envelopes of “lucky money” were assembled for the children. There were no fireworks this year, out of respect for the locals who recently were killed in floods and landslides. Instead, the city was unusually peaceful.

As always, the ancestors were honored and remembered at this special time.

Traditionally you make specific visits as follows: on day 1 you visit father’s family; day 2, mother’s family, day 3, your teachers (who are especially honored in this culture); and days 4 and 5, your friends. In reality, many people keep days 1-3 for family, and then go on vacation from day 4 until the end of the next weekend. The beach was serene on days 1-3, but would soon be jam-packed with visitors from Saigon and China. We enjoyed being observers for Tet, especially during these early days.