Tet Holiday

Tet is the biggest holiday here in Vietnam and it just so happened that the incoming volunteers, including myself, arrived at our placements just two weeks before this week long celebration began. So, if you can think about beginning a new job in the US just before Christmas break, you can imagine that diving full speed ahead into my placement was a little bit challenging with all of the hustle and bustle going on at my work place.

However, I am so glad that I arrived in Vietnam at this time because I was able to take part in the most important Vietnamese holiday of the year. The annual Tet holiday celebrates togetherness, both with family and friends, as the new lunar calendar starts anew. On New Year's Eve, people celebrate this holiday similar to the calendar New Year's Eve that we celebrate at home, complete with large parties and fireworks at midnight. Then, on the first day of Tet (the following day) people spend time with their families. The remaining days of Tet are spent visiting the homes of friends and welcoming others to your own home in celebration of the new lunar year.

One of the other VSO volunteers came down to visit over the Tet holiday which was quite fun. When she first arrived, we spent the afternoon at the citadel which was absolutely amazing to witness, even though part of it was destroyed in the war. I can only imagine what it looked like in its full glory! We then spent New Year's Eve in downtown Hue and watched the fireworks at midnight with one of my new friends here. The first day of Tet (when most people are celebrating with their families), we took a dragon boat tour down the beautiful Perfume River and visited several tombs and pagodas. The following day, we had the opportunity to visit several homes of my new friends here, including my line manager and my translator. At each home they were extremely welcoming and offered us tea, fruit and candies which is all part of the Tet tradition.

The remaining days of Tet, the visiting volunteer from Hanoi and I traveled to Hoi An for a few days. Hoi An is known for its hand sewing establishments and its quaint, historic streets. We enjoyed our time there experiencing the history, eating some great food and even doing a little bit of shopping.

Needless to say, I had a great Tet holiday here in Vietnam!

Below are some pictures from my holiday:



Citadel in Hue city

Visiting one of my new friends with the volunteer from Hanoi during Tet

The beautiful Perfume River

Dragon boat on the Perfume River

Two volunteers and myself experiencing the culture on New Year's Eve