TL;DR: Tet in northern Vietnam revolves around three axes: the offering tray to the ancestors with bánh chưng, giò, chả and pickled scallions; peach blossom tied to spring in the Red River delta along with Hanoi's flower markets, whose name is recorded in Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư from 1516; and the family reunion of the first three days of the year. These are customs documented in official histories and books of customs, not a fixed template for every household, since each region and each era has its own variations.
What is Northern Vietnamese Tet and what customs does it include?
Northern Vietnamese Tet is the familiar name for the set of customs welcoming Tet Nguyen Dan in the Red River Delta, comprising three main groups: household rituals, shopping and display (flowers, offering trays, paintings, couplets), and community activities during the first three days of the year. Tet Nguyen Dan (literally 'beginning of the morning') is also called Tet ta or Tet ca, according to researcher Tran Ngoc Them, and according to author Nguyen Thi Ha it is the largest, oldest, and most widely observed traditional festival in the country[1].
Tet originates from the wet-rice agricultural life of ancient Vietnamese people, signifying the celebration of a successful harvest after one planting season and welcoming the next[1].
This article focuses on the three pillars readers ask about most: the offering tray, peach blossoms, and three days of family reunion. Other customs such as erecting the cay neu, burning firecrackers, picking buds, khai xuan, spring outings, and Tet greetings also belong to Northern Vietnamese Tet but will only be mentioned when comparison is needed[1].
What does a traditional Northern Vietnamese Tet offering tray include?
A traditional Northern Vietnamese Tet offering tray is the ancestral offering on the morning of the first day, which must include banh chung, gio, cha, pickled scallions, and beef, with other dishes depending on the household. This is the description by Phan Ke Binh in Viet Nam phong tuc, first printed in 1915[2].
The book does not require the tray to be large or small, but to be a proper Tet offering it must have banh chung, ca kho, gio, cha, pickled scallions, and beef[2]. Thus the list of dishes is not a rigid menu but a minimum set that defines the character of Tet.
Some households also place two sugarcane stalks beside the altar as walking sticks for the ancestors[2]. This is a regional custom, not practiced by every household.
Taboo on sweeping at Tet
Phan Ke Binh also records the taboo against sweeping the house and collecting trash during the three days of Tet, only piling trash in a corner and waiting until the three days are over to dispose of it[2]. He cites the story of the merchant Au Minh in Suu than ky as the origin of this taboo[2].
Why do Northern Vietnamese display peach blossoms at Tet?
Northern Vietnamese display peach blossoms at Tet because peaches bloom right in spring in the Red River Delta, and because the pink of peach blossoms has become a symbol of spring in Vietnamese poetry for centuries. According to research by Professor Tran Quoc Vuong cited in Nhan Dan newspaper, the climate of the Red River Delta with its warm Easterly wind (warmer than the Northeast monsoon) makes peach blossoms proof that a flower can bloom in the north wind, and the meeting of peach blossom and north wind formed the symbol of spring[3].
This researcher also refutes the view that Nhat Tan peaches of Chinese origin only appeared in our country about 300 years ago, arguing that cultural exchange inevitably brings foreign plants, and that native peaches, pale peaches, dark pink peaches, and double-petal peaches of Yunnan origin coexisted[3].
Peach blossoms also appear in ancient Nom poetry: Quoc am thi tap by Nguyen Trai has six poems about peach blossoms, including 'Mot doa dao hoa kheo tot tuoi', and Dao Duy Anh annotated the word 'kien tien' as extraordinarily cherished[3]. This is textual evidence that peaches entered Vietnamese consciousness at least from the 15th century.
Hang Luoc flower market and the age of Hanoi flower markets
Hang Luoc flower market is the famous Tet flower market of Hanoi, held on the days just before Tet. According to an article in Nhan Dan newspaper, the flower market of old Thang Long was called Cho Hoang Hoa, recorded in Dai Viet su ky toan thu, Ban ky thuc luc quyen XV as belonging to Ngoc Ha camp, dated 1516, the first year of the Quang Thieu era under Le Chieu Tong[3].
Thus the official history explicitly names Ngoc Ha flower village and the adjacent flower market as being 500 years old at the time the article was written[3]. Professor Tran Quoc Vuong notes that the name An Hoa ward with the Bong field in Yen Phu existed since the Ly dynasty, and cites a folk song about An Quang flower market: 'Phien Ram cho chinh An Quang, yeu hoa anh doi hoa nang moi mua'[3].
Also according to the article, Toan thu Ban ky thuc luc quyen X records that in the year Ky Dau, the second year of Thuan Thien (1429), on the 20th day of the third month, King Le Thai To ordered the do tong quan and officials in the wards of the capital to plant trees, flowers, and vegetables, and not to leave land fallow[3].
It should be noted that there is a difference between two milestones: the flower market may have existed before the history recorded it, while the Hang Luoc street section today was originally the bed of the To Lich River filled in at the end of the 19th century, so the age of the street is not the same as the age of the flower market custom[3].
How do the three days of Tet in the North unfold?
The three days of Tet in the North are the first three days of the lunar year, each with its own focus in beliefs and activities, but there is no single mandatory script for every household. Phan Ke Binh describes the sequence: at midnight on the thirtieth, transitioning to the first day, the giao thua offering is made; on the morning of the first day, an offering tray is prepared for ancestors and also for the Earth God, Kitchen God, and Nghệ sư[2].
According to the book, the giao thua custom stems from the belief that each year has a Hanh khien deity overseeing human affairs; when the year ends, this deity hands over duties to another, so people make offerings to see off the old and welcome the new[2]. In the city, every household places an incense table in the courtyard for the giao thua offering; in the countryside, hamlets hold the giao thua ceremony at the dinh, with drums and firecrackers[2].
The book also records the custom of choosing the first visitor: many households ask a virtuous and easygoing person to come early in the morning to xong dat, so that the whole year will bring good business[2]. This is a recorded custom, not an inference by later writers.
In folk belief, on the first day people are careful with their words, because it is thought that speaking carelessly will bring bad luck for the whole year[2]. This is the voice of the belief, not a statement about the actual effect of word taboos.
Family reunion
The three days of Tet in the North are described in many literary sources: family reunion, ancestor worship, lucky money, spring outings. A research article by Nguyen Thi Ha in Tap chi Khoa hoc (2023) summarizes that the beauty of Vietnamese Tet in feudal times is preserved through material culture (home decoration, Tet shopping, eating) and spiritual culture (worship, flower viewing, erecting cay neu, firecrackers, giao thua, khai xuan, picking buds, spring outings, Tet greetings)[1].
In that research article, the poetry of Doan Van Cu is cited with details: sticky rice in spring for wrapping banh chung, fish grilled on charcoal on the last night of the year, pink trousers and red shirts, paintings of chickens and pigs, along with com tam, pickled scallions, and frozen fatty meat[1]. This is literary evidence that Tet dishes and colors have been embedded in poetry since the first half of the 20th century.
Table comparing Northern Tet customs by source
| Custom | Source | Time during Tet | Scope note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giao thua offering in the courtyard or at the dinh | Phan Ke Binh, Viet Nam phong tuc[2] | Midnight of the thirtieth to the first day | Urban and rural areas differ[2] |
| Ancestral offering with banh chung, gio, cha, pickled scallions | Phan Ke Binh, Viet Nam phong tuc[2] | Morning of the first day | Tray size varies by household, no rigid menu[2] |
| Two sugarcane stalks beside the altar | Phan Ke Binh, Viet Nam phong tuc[2] | Three days of Tet | Book notes some households do this, not universal[2] |
| Taboo on sweeping and collecting trash | Phan Ke Binh, Viet Nam phong tuc[2] | Three days of Tet | Book cites origin from Suu than ky[2] |
| Choosing the first visitor | Phan Ke Binh, Viet Nam phong tuc[2] | Early morning of the first day | Criteria: virtuous and easygoing[2] |
| Displaying peach blossoms | Nhan Dan citing Tran Quoc Vuong[3] | Throughout Tet | Tied to Red River Delta climate[3] |
| Hang Luoc flower market | Nhan Dan, citing Dai Viet su ky toan thu[3] | Days before Tet | Old name Cho Hoang Hoa, in Ngoc Ha camp[3] |
Points where sources disagree
There are at least two points where documents disagree, and readers should know so they are not led by a single source.
The first is the origin of Nhat Tan peach trees. Some opinions hold that Nhat Tan peaches are of Chinese origin and only appeared in Vietnam about 300 years ago; Professor Tran Quoc Vuong refutes this and argues that cultural exchange inevitably leads to the integration of foreign plants, while native peaches, pale peaches, dark pink peaches, and double-petal peaches of Yunnan origin coexisted[3]. This is a point where researchers have not agreed, and this article presents both sides.
The second is the age of Hang Luoc flower market. The 500-year milestone is based on the 1516 record in the official history, but Professor Tran Quoc Vuong himself notes that the flower market existed before the history recorded it, and the Hang Luoc street today was originally the bed of the To Lich River filled in at the end of the 19th century[3]. That is, the age of the flower market custom and the age of the street are two different matters and should not be equated.
Nhat Nguyet's suggestions when reading about Northern Tet
When researching Northern Tet, one should separate three layers of information: the factual layer (official history recording the flower market in 1516, the 1915 customs book recording the offering tray), the belief layer (taboo on sweeping, choosing the first visitor), and the literary interpretation layer (poetry of Doan Van Cu, Nguyen Binh). These three layers do not replace one another.
Nhat Nguyet's suggestion: if you are researching to create content, teach, or recreate Tet for your family, use the comparison table above as a framework, then add details from your own locality. There is no original or standard version of Tet customs against which other places are measured; differences between regions are differences, not errors.
