Tet Nguyen Dan in Vietnam is the most important holiday of the year and a sacred moment when people gather with their families, welcoming the new year with many good hopes. Traditional Tet markets become even more unique in that bustling atmosphere, making the spring picture more vivid and colourful.
From North to South, each region has its own TET markets with its own cultural identity, attracting many locals and tourists.
Opening hours of Tet markets
Usually starting in mid-December, Tet markets last until New Year’s Eve. Tet market spaces are extremely diverse. They can be rural markets with simple thatched roofs, bustling floating markets on the rivers of the West, or ancient streets with colourful lanterns.
Coming to the Tet market, we seem to be lost in a world of flavours and colours. There are delicious regional specialities, colourful Tet decorations, and meaningful gifts for loved ones. The sounds of laughter and bargaining blend with folk games and spring music to create a lively harmony.
Strolling around Unique TET markets
From North to South, each region has its own Tet markets with its own cultural identity, attracting many locals and tourists. Whether it is a rustic rural market or a bustling urban market, all share the same hustle and bustle of life in the days leading up to Tet.
Experience the Northern Tet markets
Dong Xuan Market during Tet holiday in Hanoi
Hanoi: We cannot fail to mention Dong Xuan market, a shopping paradise for Tet decorations with all kinds of lanterns, red parallel sentences, Tet paintings, etc.
Although it is one of the symbols of the capital with hundreds of years of history, Dong Xuan market on the days before Tet Giap Thin 2024 brings two scenes of sellers busy, struggling to serve customers to the point of not having time for lunch, at the candy and Tet decoration stalls,
Located in the heart of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, Dong Xuan Market is the busiest wholesale market in the North. With 3 floors selling all kinds of essential goods, from household goods, clothes, to food, souvenirs, etc., Dong Xuan Market is still a familiar destination for Hanoians and tourists from all over, especially during the Tet holiday.
Vieng Market Nam Dinh with a long history
Vieng market, a unique cultural feature of Thanh Nam, has long been famous for its meaning of praying for good luck at the beginning of the year. Among the four Vieng markets scattered throughout the province, the Vieng Kim Thai market in the Vu Ban district is still the most popular tourist destination.
Every year, on the night of the 7th and early morning of the 8th of January, people flock here to immerse themselves in the bustling, vibrant atmosphere of the lucky market. From buffalo meat, beef, seedlings, and offerings to old but still useful items, all are sold at Vieng market.
What makes this market so special is the idea of “buying luck, selling bad luck.” Buyers and sellers all want to give each other luck and fortune at the beginning of the year. Therefore, customers do not bargain, and shop owners do not haggle, creating a beautiful, humane culture of buying and selling. Everyone believes that as long as they sincerely pray for luck, they will have a prosperous year full of wealth and fortune.
Unique features at Tet markets in the Central region
Gia Lac Hue Spring Market
Located on the banks of the poetic Huong River, next to the ancient Dinh Vien Palace in Tay Thuong Village, Gia Lac Spring Market is a unique traditional beauty of the people of Hue. During the three days of Lunar New Year, from the 1st to the 3rd, Gia Lac Spring Market is a place to buy and sell goods and where the quintessence of unique folk culture converges.
Early in the morning of the first day of the lunar new year, people from all over flock to the market, creating a bustling and joyful atmosphere. All kinds of local products are sold here: from betel and areca nuts, cakes, fruits to agarwood, children’s toys and lucky salt packages. Among the colorful stalls are attractive folk games such as rice pounding songs, spinning the crop, bai choi, bau cua tom ca… attracting many participants.
Coming to Gia Lac spring market, visitors can not only shop for souvenirs and enjoy Hue specialties, but also immerse themselves in the bustling spring atmosphere with folk songs, lyrical antiphonal singing, unique plays and interesting folk games.
From a place of entertainment for the royal family and mandarins in the past, Gia Lac spring market has gradually become an attractive destination for people and tourists worldwide every time Tet comes. In particular, the cultural beauty of “getting lucky at the beginning of the year” and the civility and politeness in the behaviour between buyers and sellers have created a unique attraction for the spring market here.
Gia Lac Spring Market is not only a simple Tet market but also a place to preserve and promote the nation’s traditional cultural values .
Go Binh Dinh Market
The Go Market Festival in Binh Dinh has a more bustling spring festival atmosphere than a normal early-year market. From early morning, people eagerly bring to the market the freshest products of the season, such as fruits, vegetables, betel and areca nuts, chicken, fish, etc. Although there are many things for sale, the most popular items are still betel and areca nuts, papaya, and figs, with the wish for a prosperous new year.
The interesting thing is that the trading atmosphere here is very comfortable, without any bargaining or fighting. Everyone comes to the market with the spirit of celebrating spring, meeting friends, sharing the first fortune of the year, and wishing each other luck. Besides, visitors can also immerse themselves in the unique folk games of the martial arts land, such as popping balloons, lion dancing, playing chess, singing Tuong, bai choi, and especially the majestic traditional martial arts performances.
Coming to Go Market, don’t forget to enjoy famous delicacies of Binh Dinh, such as shrimp spring rolls, crab noodles, Huyen market sour rolls, and jumping shrimp pancakes, and buy famous specialties as gifts, such as Quy Nhon pink cake, gai leaf cake, and sugar-coated squid.
The vibrant Colors of Tet markets in the South
Cai Rang Floating Market
In the days leading up to Tet, Cai Rang floating market (Can Tho) seems to put on a new coat, more vibrant and bustling than ever. The daily atmosphere, which is usually bustling from 6-7am, is now even more bustling when, from 4am, the market has been bustling with activity. Sellers and buyers are all in a hurry, some want to go home early to decorate their houses for Tet, others want to quickly fill their boats to be in time to return to distant areas to trade at the year-end market.
Weaving between the big and small boats, we encounter the unique trading scene of the floating market. On the big boats, the sellers quickly receive each bag and basket of goods from the small boats. Some pass, some receive, all take place rhythmically and skillfully, like a dance in the middle of the immense river. Immersing in that atmosphere, we feel the warmth and intimacy emanating from the gentle smiles of the merchants.
The closer to Tet, the more crowded and bustling Cai Rang floating market becomes due to the influx of small boats from far away provinces. The dawn on the Mekong Delta rivers seems more brilliant with the bustling scene of buying and selling, buyers and sellers, and the bustling sounds of laughter. Then when the last market session ends, the boats drift back to their hometowns, bringing with them the joy of reunion to celebrate Tet with their families.
Ben Binh Dong Flower Market in Saigon
Nestled along the poetic Tau Hu canal, Ben Binh Dong flower market has long been a unique highlight, imbued with the soul of old Saigon. Once a bustling wharf, a trading place for countless merchants, today Ben Binh Dong still retains its inherent hustle and bustle, especially in spring.
About 7km from the city center, Ben Binh Dong flower market (District 8) is not only a paradise of thousands of flowers but also a place to preserve the typical river culture values of the South. Visitors seem to go back in time, experiencing the old Tet atmosphere on boats and ships filled with flowers from all over the Western provinces.
Small, pretty boats are filled with chrysanthemums, marigolds, bougainvillaea, peach blossoms, and ivy; large boats bring pots of bright yellow apricot blossoms, kumquat trees laden with fruit, and unique ornamental coconut trees… All create a vivid spring picture, filled with colours and fragrances, attracting visitors whenever Tet and spring come.
Walking through the Tet markets, you will feel the spring atmosphere filling every corner of the street, every stall. The vibrant colors of flowers, lanterns, traditional Ao Dai; the bustling sounds of laughter, bargaining, spring music, etc. all blend together to create a vibrant Tet symphony.
The aroma of Chung cake, Tet cake, Tet jam, and traditional dishes such as fried spring rolls, braised pork belly, etc. makes everyone feel nostalgic, remembering the taste of Tet in their homeland. In addition, special activities such as asking for calligraphy from the calligrapher, watching lion dances, playing folk games, etc. add to the excitement of the year’s first days.
Indispensable Items During the Traditional Lunar New Year Holiday
Contributing to the special Tet atmosphere, traditional items with the meaning of luck and fortune are indispensable. Walking around the Tet market, we can quickly come across:
- Ornamental plants and flowers for Tet: Peach blossoms in the North, apricot blossoms in the South, chrysanthemums, kumquat trees, etc., symbolize luck and prosperity.
- Banh Chung, banh tet: Traditional dishes that are indispensable on the ancestral altar and Tet meal tray, symbolizing abundance and reunion.
- Tet jams, candies, and cakes are sweet dishes served to treat guests on spring days, showing the host’s hospitality.
- Red parallel sentences, Tet paintings: Bring a bustling spring atmosphere and good wishes for the new year.
- Lucky money: The custom of giving lucky money at the beginning of the year to bring luck and fortune to children and the elderly.
Tet markets are not only places for buying and selling goods but also places to preserve the nation’s traditional cultural beauty. They are also an opportunity for people to meet, exchange goods, wish each other a happy new year, and pray for a peaceful and prosperous new year.
If you can travel during this Tet holiday, don’t forget to visit the unique markets across the country to experience the Vietnamese Tet atmosphere fully!
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