Preparing for Tet

The biggest holiday of the year in Viet Nam is the lunar new year called Tet and it is only a few days away. Because the lunar new year is based on the moon (duh!) the date varies each year. Lunar New Year will fall on January 23 this year. At that time the practically everyone in the country goes on vacation for a week or more. There are a few tourist facilities like restaurants which will be open, and I am sure hospitals will still be open. Hopefully I will not need the latter.

I was here for Tet two years ago and that was my first experience in Viet Nam. Now that I am more familiar with the life here I am more aware of the importance of the holiday.

Last night after I ate supper I walked home via a street I have not walked in a couple of weeks. I was delighted to see the entire length of the street has been strung with millions of lights and I am sure when lit that street will glow as brightly as the strip in Vegas. I think I mentioned earlier the enormous twin dragons being built with styrofoam and metal frames. When I passed last night the frames are now filled in with potted flower plants to form the bodies. Unfortunately I forgot to take my camera along but I will return for a Kodak moment and I will share with you.

Another tradition for new years is dragon dancing. Before coming to Viet Nam a couple of years ago I had only seen dragon dancing on television or as background scenes in some movies about Chinatown in San Francisco and I was always intrigued. There are teams from all over Viet Nam which compete for national title to represent the country in an international competition in Singapore and tonight I am going to the first of the competitions. This is something I have been asking about ever since I arrived here in November so my inquiries have paid off.

As for my plans for Tet, I have not made a plan yet for the actual night. I was at the Saigon River the other time I was here for an unforgettable firework display, but the crowds there were really daunting and I do not know if I really want to get into that again. On the second day after Tet, January 24 I will go by bus to Siem Reap, Cambodia. That is one of my favorite places in Asia, and I will spend 2 nights there before traveling onward to Bangkok on the 26 to meet my old friend Toshi who is on vacation there from Honolulu. While in Siem Reap I look forward to eating delicious Cambodian food as often as my stomach will allow.