At the time of my first Tet, the Lunar New Year in Vietnam, i had been in the country for about four months. Everything was still an adventure for me. I tried to live my life as 'Vietnamese' as possible, meaning that i tried to integrate as much as it is possible for a foreigner, slept on bamboo mattresses, ate on the floor, and so on.
Among the many things that are part of Vietnamese life, Tet is one special event that i can only recommend celebrating at least once the traditional way if you plan longer to stay longer in Vietnam. Why? Because partaking in this event is one step to understand what life in Vietnam and Vietnamese culture are about. Tet is a bit like Western Christmas in that it's all about family, relatives, friends, and trying to maintain and improve those relationships. Most Vietnamese i've talked to about Tet asked me whether Western New Year is like Tet in Vietnam. But i find it's much closer to Christmas. Social relations are front and centre, there's lots of food, it lasts for three days, during which many litres of alcohol slide down the throats- okay, well that's maybe not like Western Christmas. Anyway, back to my first Tet...
