Vietnamplus

There are only a couple of weeks left until the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday. These days, flowers of all kinds are blossoming to cater for the local Tet decoration demands.

A programme to make chung cake (square, glutinous rice cake) for disadvantaged communities will take place at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism from January 24-26, said the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (MCST) on January 14.

Many activities have been organised nationwide to support disadvantaged people and policy beneficiaries on the threshold of the upcoming lunar New Year (Tet) holidays which fall in early February.

The average bonus for the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) in Ho Chi Minh City has been reported at more than 10.3 million VND (444.47 USD), a 25 percent rise compared to last year, according to the municipal Department of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs.

The “Border spring-Island Tet 2019” programme was launched at the Cam Ranh military port in the south central coastal province of Khanh Hoa on January 3.

A blood donation drive was launched on December 26 in Hanoi, expected to collect about 50,000 blood units during the 2019 Chu Nhat Do (Red Sunday).

The National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion has called on the community, especially those with type O blood, to donate blood in an effort to avoid a shortage during the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) holidays.

The petrol retail price saw its highest surge so far this year on Saturday, raising concerns over unpredictable impacts to the economy and the possible increase of goods prices during the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays, experts said.

Ho Chi Minh City’s Nguyen Hue Flower Street welcomed more than a million visitors during the seven-day Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Vietnam Airlines operated over 6,200 domestic and international flights during the peak of Tet (Lunar New Year), serving nearly 880,000 passengers, a rise of 7.4 percent against the previous year.

The annual blood donation campaign held by the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) after Tet (Lunar New Year) began in Hanoi on February 22.

Vietnamese cook more dishes, which are also more delicious than normal food during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, which is the reason why it is called ‘eating Tet’ in Vietnam.

Vietnamese always prepare traditional dishes for ancestor worship during the Lunar New Year festival, and the burden for preparing all of this still falls on women.

If rice is a staple of Vietnamese daily meals, then Gio (Vietnamese sausage) is considered the staple of special occasions, such as Tet (the Lunar New Year), wedding parties and ancestors’ death anniversary.

The three main regions of Vietnam are characterized by different climate and soil conditions that result in different traditions and customs, and some of these have to do with which traditional dishes are favoured and how they are prepared when Tet, the Lunar New Year, is celebrated.

On the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2018, President Tran Dai Quang offered greetings to all Vietnamese nationwide and in foreign countries, wishing them and people around the world a new year of peace, friendship, happiness and prosperity.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong on the night of February 15 (the last day of the last lunar month) visited and extended Tet greetings to Hanoi’s Party Committee, authorities and people.

During the days just before Tet, it is easy to see motorbikes carrying all sorts of ornamental plants, while streets which are used to selling ornamental plants and flowers become crowded.​

People are preferring confectionery products from Vietnamese manufacturers to foreign products in preparing for the coming Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

All hospitals at both central and local levels in Hanoi have carefully prepared for emergencies during Tet (Lunar New Year).