The Year of the Dog: Celebrating Tet

CHUC MUNG NAM MOI!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Tet has finally sprung upon us and it brings with it lots of unexpected suprises!

For the past couple of days it has been hard to buy food because almost all of the grocery stores are gone. When Tet arrives people throw work to the wind and everyone seems to congregate downtown for the festivies. The streets are filled at night with the sound of concerts, parades, and loud speakers pumping out music. The middle section of the downtown road is completely closed off, and there are large displays of orchids, waterfalls, and flowers.

This picture was taken during a trip to Mui Ne with my mom. The yellow apricot flowers represent the south of Vietnam while the pink blossoms are peach blossoms represent the north. These trees are especially abundant during Tet, as are mandarin trees because the mandarin is orange and round, representing wealth and good fortune.