Describe a traditional festival that is celebrated in your country.

I’d like to talk about Tet, or Lunar New Year, which is probably the most important traditional festival in Vietnam. It’s a bit like a mix of Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Western countries, but with its own customs and atmosphere that go back hundreds of years.

Tet usually takes place in late January or early February, depending on the lunar calendar. In the weeks leading up to it, there’s this real buzz in the air: streets are decorated with red banners and yellow flowers, and markets stay open late so families can buy new clothes, gifts and flowers. On New Year’s Eve itself, people gather with relatives, watch TV specials together, and then head outside for fireworks at midnight.

During the festival, most people go back to their hometowns to be with their extended family. We clean the house from top to bottom, not just for hygiene, but as a symbolic way to sweep away bad luck. There are also lots of traditional activities like giving “lì xì” – lucky money in red envelopes – to children and elders, visiting pagodas to pray for a prosperous year, and paying respects at ancestral altars.

Food is a huge part of Tet. The most iconic dish is bánh chưng, a square sticky rice cake filled with pork and mung beans, wrapped in green leaves and boiled for hours. We also have pickled onions, boiled chicken, spring rolls and all kinds of candied fruits and roasted watermelon seeds laid out on trays for guests.

This festival matters so much because it’s a rare chance for families to properly reconnect, especially those who work far from home. It reinforces our cultural identity and traditional values like respect for elders, gratitude to ancestors and optimism for the future. In a way, Tet helps people hit the reset button and start the year with hope and a sense of belonging.