More Tet

One of the things that happens during Tet is lots of people head back home to visit family and friends for about a week. For most home isn't Ho Chi Minh City. So the city gets a bit empty and quiet compared to the rest of the time. Nearly all shops and restaurants are closed. Crossing the street is no where near the thrill it is on a regular day. You can even be out on the street for 30 seconds or a minute without seeing a taxi.

It's an enjoyable calm that settles over the city.

The people left in HCM  spend their time visiting, eating and gifting each other with lucky money. The visiting and eating remind me a lot of the Thanksgiving to New Year's holiday season back in the US. Lots of visiting and way too much eating. Here's a little evidence of the visiting and eating.

On two successive days Huong had visitors in her apartment and served everyone dinner. Since there were more people than could fit at the table we all sat on the floor. Lucky for me I'm still flexible enough to be able to sit on the floor with legs crossed in front of me. It was a bit of a stretch but the company and the food made it all worthwhile. It was clear to me everyone was enjoying themselves.


The lucky money gifting is a bit like Christmas because of the gift giving. Different though because the gift is always the same. A red envelope with some small amount of money in it. The emphasis in giving the gift is to wish the person well for the new year and not the amount of money in the envelope. From what I saw the lucky money is usually given only to children and the family patriarch or matriarch. Though there is also some lucky money exchanged between friends.