Several of the YAMAGATA Group's international offices are in countries that celebrate the Lunar New Year. This time, we would like to introduce the Lunar New Year in Vietnam, known as Tet.

What is Tet (Lunar New Year)?

While Japan welcomes the new year on January 1st of the solar (Gregorian) calendar, many Asian countries, including Vietnam, celebrate the new year based on the lunar calendar, an influence of Chinese culture. The period from the first to the third day of the first lunar month is called Tet.

The Difference Between the Solar and Lunar Calendars The difference lies in how they measure time. The solar calendar is based on the Earth's orbit around the sun, while the lunar calendar is based on the cycle from one new moon to the next.

• The solar calendar has 365 days in a year and is adjusted to align with the seasons.

• The lunar calendar defines a month as approximately 29.5 days (from new moon to new moon), making a year about 354 days long.

Because the lunar year is about 11 days shorter than the solar year, it gradually falls out of sync with the seasons.

Tet is the most important holiday of the year in Vietnam. During this time, many Vietnamese who work far from home return to be with their families. Relatives gather to clean and decorate their homes together, pray to their ancestors, and celebrate the arrival of a new spring. People also visit temples to pray for health, happiness, and good fortune in the new year.

When is Tet?

Because Tet is determined by the lunar calendar, its date changes each year, but it typically falls between late January and early February on the Gregorian calendar. (In 2024, the first day of the Lunar New Year was February 10th).

According to Vietnamese labor law, workers are entitled to a five-day continuous holiday for Tet. When combined with weekends, this vacation can last from seven to ten days.

The Lunar Calendar Schedule for Tet

December 23rd: The ritual of cleaning the kitchen and sending off the Kitchen God (Táo quân).
December 28th-29th: A major house cleaning, decorating, and shopping for daily necessities and food.
December 30th: New Year's Eve. Prayers and offerings to ancestors.
January 1st: New Year's Day. Visiting temples and sharing meals with family and relatives.
January 2nd: Sharing meals with family and relatives.
January 3rd-4th: Free time for families, visiting friends and acquaintances, and going out.

Tet Customs

First Footing (Đất Xông) It is believed that the first person to visit a family in the new year greatly influences their fortune, so many families carefully select and invite a specific person for this "first footing" ritual.

Lucky Money (Lì xì) Like in Japan, children in Vietnam receive gifts of money for the new year. However, a distinctive feature in Vietnam is that this gift is given to a much wider range of people, including parents, grandparents, the elderly, friends, and unmarried individuals. In the workplace, bosses give lucky money to employees, and colleagues exchange it among themselves to create a festive atmosphere on the first day back at work and strengthen workplace bonds.

Traditional Tet Foods

Bánh Chưng This is a large, square-shaped Vietnamese rice cake, similar to a savory dumpling. It is made by wrapping rice, pork, and mung beans in dong leaves and boiling it for about eight hours. In southern Vietnam, it is called Bánh Tét.

Mứt Tết A variety of jams, dried fruits, and nuts—such as ginger, coconut, and tomato—are prepared to serve to guests.

Five-Fruit Tray (Mâm ngũ quả) This is a tradition exclusive to the Lunar New Year where a tray is arranged with five types of fruit (such as peaches, kiwis, grapefruits, watermelons, or coconuts) and offered on the ancestral altar. Different fruits are used in each region (bananas are common in the north, while mangoes are often chosen in the south) to express the hopes and wishes of the head of the household.

Tet Clothing and Decorations

Clothing People wear new clothes and shoes, favoring bright, vibrant colors. Yellow, red, and pink are especially popular as they symbolize good luck and happiness. It is common for women to wear the traditional áo dài when visiting temples or festivals.

Decorations Homes are decorated inside and out with flowers like chrysanthemums and orchids, as well as peach blossoms in the north and apricot blossoms or kumquat trees in the central and southern regions.

The Quiet of the New Year

On the first day of the new year, major streets that are usually bustling with people become surprisingly quiet. This is because many people have returned to their hometowns or are traveling. Staying in Vietnam during this period allows you to experience a special atmosphere that you can't find at any other time of the year.

New Year's Greetings

In Vietnamese, "Happy New Year" is "Chúc mừng năm mới" (pronounced roughly as "Chook Mung Nam Moy"). Feel free to use it to greet people in Vietnam during the new year.

YAMAGATA SOLUTIONS VIETNAM

Established in 2012 and headquartered in Hanoi, YAMAGATA SOLUTIONS VIETNAM is the Vietnamese branch of the YAMAGATA Group. We provide services centered on commercial printing, translation, design, and desktop publishing (DTP), including the production of catalogs, pamphlets, posters, flyers, and packaging.

Our company also handles multilingual translation services in languages such as Japanese, English, and Vietnamese, as well as production for websites, logos, flyers, and package design. We offer comprehensive support, from planning to the production of printed materials tailored to our clients' needs.

If you are considering business expansion in Vietnam, please do not hesitate to contact YAMAGATA SOLUTIONS VIETNAM.

YAMAGATA SOLUTIONS VIETNAM

Contact: sales@yamagata-vietnam.com

Hanoi Head

Office Room 503, 5th Floor, ICON4 Tower, 243A De La Thanh, Lang Thuong Ward, Dong Da District, Hanoi City, Vietnam TEL: +84-24-3525-1540 FAX: +84-24-3525-1541

Ho Chi Minh City Branch

May Plaza Tower, 63D Vo Van Tan, Vo Thi Sau Ward, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam TEL: +84-909-431-110