Chuc Mung Nam Moi!

When we realized we’d be in Vietnam smack dab during the middle of Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, I got a little concerned. Posters on forums warned the cities would be empty, hotels and restaurants would be closed, and everyone would be celebrating at home with their families. But just like our travels during Changwon in South Korea and Diwali in India, these dire predictions are way overblown. We had no trouble getting around during Tet. In fact, there were more buses available. While some restaurants were closed for the days before and after Tet, plenty of others were available. Hotels were open in the Mekong Delta and Saigon. About the only drawback was that the Floating Markets were closed on Tet itself, which unfortunately was the only day we had available to take a tour of the Delta. This meant no one was on the river and since most of the tour was on the big open industrial river instead of the quaint backwaters, our tour was so boring I actually fell asleep.

Any drawbacks were overshadowed by the feeling that we were experiencing a little taste of Vietnamese culture we wouldn’t have been able to see otherwise. Anticipation and excitement hung heavy in the air. From our first day in the country, we could tell a major celebration was just around the corner. Across all of the Delta towns, people zoomed by on scooters with armfuls of flowers or lucky kumquat trees towering in their baskets. Every home and business (and sometimes even parked cars) had an elaborate feast for the spirits set out front. In Vietnam, the spirits must be a little feisty, because we saw just as many cans of beer and packs of cigarettes as we did piles of fruit and traditional dishes. The smell of incense permeated the air, and red lanterns and flowers adorned shops and homes. In honor of Tet, we learned the phrase Chuc Mung Nam Moi! and used it often. We were greeted with either confused looks, making us think we were probably saying it wrong as we often do when we attempt phrases in different languages, or smiles followed by a hearty Chuc Mung Nam Moi in return. We celebrated Tet Eve in Can Tho by watching fireworks amongst a sea of teenagers and scooters. I really think we were two of twenty people over thirty and two of five white people. The fireworks were an elaborate display. Most were met with oohs and aahs or snickers and fake enthusiasm (the latter from a group of smartass teenagers nearby). The sheer number of people gave us our first taste of the raw energy that permeates the country.

When we got to Saigon, we found the main streets ablaze with lights and flowers in full celebration. We stumbled upon a parade in honor of Tet and posed by enormous light creations like the Vietnamese. In the streets surrounding our hotel, we watched people burn fake money in the street in the hopes of getting rich in the new year. I do suspect that Saigon was a bit toned down in the days after Tet. Each day we noticed increasing traffic and people infiltrate the city, and shops that were closed began to open. But we were able to see and do everything we wanted to see and do, and even a toned down Saigon is still an exciting Saigon.

So if your travel plans put you in a country during a major holiday, definitely embrace the opportunity!

 

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