Our traditional Tet lunch experience

An array of traditional Vietnamese food for Lunar New Year (Tet)
An array of traditional Vietnamese food for Lunar New Year (Tet)

HANOI, VIETNAM – As slow travelers, John and I always try to connect with the local culture, so we were thrilled to be invited recently to join a family for their traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) family lunch in a rural village just outside of Hanoi.

We really did not know what to expect, besides lots of food, so we saved the entire day for the experience, and brought a box of chocolates for our host, Khai, the number two son in the family.
Continue reading “Our traditional Tet lunch experience”

Christmas and New Year’s in Hanoi

Tet decorations can be really over the top in Hanoi
Tet holiday decorations can be really over the top in Hanoi

HANOI, VIETNAM – Our Christmas and New Year’s celebrations were certainly a bit different this year. We don’t usually do much, sometimes go to a movie, usually fix ourselves a nice dinner, but we’re not big gift-givers.

We both hate that in the U.S. the “Christmas season” seems to start even before summer ends. Continue reading “Christmas and New Year’s in Hanoi”