The freezing weather of winter in Hanoi is fading to make room for warmer days and soft sunlight signal the arrival of spring and Tet in the capital city of Vietnam. Even on the smallest lane of Hanoi ones may feel the unique atmosphere of Tet where people are in rush to complete all the remaining works of an old year and prepare for a new Dragon Year. Streets are filled up with an abundant amount of vehicles and colored with red banners along the road and bonsai and flowers being sold on the pavements. Every here and there are people carrying a branch of peach blossom or a small kumquat tree contributing to the big picture of the festival.
Today is the 23th of December in Lunar Calendar when we can see the most significant sign of Tet when all Vietnamese people
worship Kitchen Gods and release golden fishes to lake and rivers as mounts for the gods.
Expats to Hanoi don’t need to worry about missing interesting events of Tet because the most interesting part of the holiday is still waiting for you to enjoy. Besides traditional customs and festivals during Tet, this article will introduce to you the six most noticeable events in the following days of the month:
1. Spring Fair 2012
The yearly Spring Fair has just come back to Hanoi from 12 to 21 January. This year’s events compose of more than 600 domestic and international companies exhibiting and selling their products of every types: foods, drinks, clothes, furniture, bonsai, flower, electronic devices, etc. Along the fair is a chain of art and music show both in traditional and modern styles as well as Vietnamese traditional food serving stores.
Location: Giang Vo Exhibition and Fair Center, 148 Giang Vo Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.
2. Hotel Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi
To celebrate Tet 2012,
Metropole presents “the special
Spices garden Tet delicacies” lasting from January 12 to 23. Coming here, ones may have chances to enjoy the most luxury of the best quality meals conjured up by famous chief Nguyen Thanh Hai of Metropole. Besides Vietnamese traditional foods, the hotels will also serve creative delicacies such as blue prawns in festive robe or roasted venison fillet.
Location: 15 Ngo Quyen Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.
Phone: (04) 3 826 699
3. Fireworks shows
This
Tet holiday, Hanoi is proud to hold the most glamourous firework distribution spot in Vietnam, on the sky of 29 locations around the cities. Amongst which, the most four noticeable spots are above
Hoan Kiem Lake,
Thong Nhat Park, Nguyen Hoang Ton Garden (West Lake) and Van Quan Lake. Other distribution areas are spreading among six districts, 19 suburban districts of Hanoi.
4. Enjoying spring program at Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
Enjoying spring program 2012 is going to take place between January 2 and 29 at
Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. This event is a venue of outdoor activities and games such as pháo đất (ground artillery), đánh đu (swinging), kéo co (tugging), ô ăn quan, etc. Furthermore, there will be traditional folk song performance and custom shows in which visitors can wear on Vietnamese traditional clothes and take photos. Trying to write calligraphy and knead statues under the guidance of experts is another interesting activity ones may find here.
5. Playing golf for free at Park Lane
Although golf is not very related to Tet as it is an imported sport, it is not a bad idea to enjoy Tet in your own way. In the occasion of Tet and to celebrate its opening day, Park Lane offer an exclusive promotional campaign allowing customers come and train for free from 6:30am to 12:00 pm from Monday to Friday and will last until 8th February.
Location: Dich Vong Park, Tran Thai Tong Street, Cau Giay District, Hanoi.
6. Music space no. 10
Integrating with the festive environment Tet brings to Hanoi is the special music show “Music space No. 10” with the attendance of My Tam – one of the most famous pop female singers in Vietnam who possesses the largest number of fans and is regarded as a diva of Vietnam. During the show, My Tam is going to perform renowned song that attached to her fame like “Giấc mơ mùa thu”, “Tạm biệt chim én”, “Đêm dài” and “Có đôi khi”. The fellow partner of My Tam on the night is Ha Okio – a talented young rapper who has been well recognized by music lover in Vietnam recently. Ha Okio silently contributed to the successes of Vietnamese reputable movies like “Bẫy Rồng” (Dragon Trap), “Giải cứu thần chết” or “Long ruồi” as the main single of the movies’ soundtracks.
Ticket booking: Book directly through hotlines: 094 777 7818 | 093 915 3688 or (04) 3 734 9461.
