TL;DR: Tet during the subsidy period was bound up with ration coupons and a standard Tet goods bag containing candied fruit, tea, cigarettes, liquor, vermicelli, bánh đa, monosodium glutamate and pork skin. People had to queue from early morning to buy, saved up coupons for months beforehand, and many families pooled dong leaves, glutinous rice and fuel to boil their bánh chưng together in one pot.
What was Tet during the subsidy period?
Tet during the subsidy period was the Lunar New Year of the years when everyday goods were distributed by ration coupons and bought at state trade stores. Tet goods reached each family through a Tet food bag bought with coupons, by standard quota[2]. The memories cited here are those of a few people writing or speaking in the press, mostly in Hà Nội. In many people's memories, Tet began the moment they saw the Tet food bag brought home by their parents, usually about a week before Tet, sometimes earlier or later depending on when one managed to queue and buy it[1].
Historian Ngo Vuong Anh recalls that for children of the subsidy era, Tet began with the sight of the Tet food bag bought with purchase coupons, holding a 250-gram box of mixed candied fruit, a 150-gram piece of pork rind, a bag of candy, a packet of Ba Dinh tea, a packet of Dien Bien cigarettes, a bottle of fruit liquor, 200 grams of vermicelli, a stack of rice paper, a small bag of pepper, and a bag of about 50 grams of monosodium glutamate[1].
What was inside the Tet food bag during the subsidy period?
The Tet food bag was a large nylon bag holding almost the entire flavor of Tet that ordinary days could not offer. According to Ngo Vuong Anh's account, its contents were much the same year after year: a 250-gram box of mixed candied fruit with five or six kinds, mostly candied winter melon, a few sugar-coated peanuts that children called "bird eggs," a few pieces of carrot, a few pieces of potato, a few pieces of candied ginger, and in some years a few dried apples or a kumquat[1].
An article in Báo Nhân Dân lists pork rind, rice paper for spring rolls, wood ear mushrooms, shiitake, miến dong vermicelli, pepper, monosodium glutamate, packet Ba Đình tea and silver-wrapped Điện Biên cigarettes, all packed in a nylon bag and sold cheaply[2].
Ms. Trinh Thi Thuy, interviewed in 2019, remembered the Tet food bag of the subsidy period as containing one firecracker string, one box of Tet candied fruit, tea, a bottle of fruit liquor, and a packet of candy from the Hanoi Confectionery Enterprise[3].
| Item in the Tet food bag | Quantity in memory | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed candied fruit | 250 grams | Mostly candied winter melon, sugar-coated peanuts, carrot, potato, candied ginger[1] |
| Pork rind | 150 grams | A curled piece of pork rind[1] |
| Vermicelli | 200 grams | Dong vermicelli[2] |
| Monosodium glutamate | About 50 grams | The item mothers liked most[1] |
| Tea | One packet | Usually labeled Ba Dinh[1] |
| Cigarettes | One packet | Usually Dien Bien in silver wrapping[1] |
| Fruit liquor | One bottle | Lemon or orange, essentially alcohol mixed with coloring and flavoring[1] |
| Rice paper for spring rolls | One stack | Used to wrap spring rolls[1] |
| Pepper | One small bag | Seasoning[1] |
How did the queues for Tet candied fruit unfold?
Queuing was the central activity of Tet during the subsidy period. People had to reach the state trade store from early morning, sometimes from 3 or 4 a.m., to wait for their standard Tet goods[3]. Each person could buy only a fixed amount: 3 lang of meat, 1 kg of wheat flour, 1 Tet food bag[3].
Ms. Trinh Thi Thuy recounted: "Queuing from 3 to 4 a.m., yet each person got only 3 lang of meat, 1 kg of wheat flour, 1 Tet food bag containing: 1 firecracker string, 1 box of Tet candied fruit, tea, 1 bottle of fruit liquor, and 1 packet of candy from the Hanoi Confectionery Enterprise at the time"[3].
Ngo Vuong Anh also recalled that the Tet food bag was bought with purchase coupons, brought home by parents about a week before Tet, depending on when one could go and queue to buy it from the state trade store[1].
Why did people have to save ration coupons for months in advance?
Because coupons were limited and quotas were low, many families had to save for months to have enough ingredients for Tet. Those who planned ahead stockpiled goods for the holiday well before[2]. Housewives collected their standard sugar and milk to make candied fruit, che kho, quy gai, and quy xop, since without sugar and milk those could not be made[2].
To have glutinous rice for wrapping banh chung, the women cut back on their standard rice ration in the household book to exchange for glutinous rice, storing it carefully for the cakes[2]. This saving went on quietly but decided the success of Tet: without glutinous rice there was no banh chung, and without banh chung, for many people Tet lost its full meaning[2].
How did the collective banh chung pot work during the subsidy period?
The collective banh chung pot is a vivid memory of Tet in the neighbourhoods and villages of the subsidy period. Several households shared one large pot, often a 200-liter drum, to boil banh chung[1]. Each family's cakes were marked with binding strips so they would not be mixed up[1].
Ngo Vuong Anh recounted: "A few households would pick a shared spot for a kitchen and set up the pot to boil banh chung. Sometimes several households shared one big pot (usually a 200-liter drum) to boil the cakes, and of course each family's cakes were marked with binding strips, so there could be no mistake"[1].
Fuel for boiling also had to be saved: gathered firewood was set aside specifically for the banh chung pot[1]. Children and adults gathered around the fire to watch the cakes and tell stories, until the youngest fell asleep in the adults' laps[1].
The article in Báo Nhân Dân also recorded the scene of several families jointly slaughtering a pig, sharing dong leaves, contributing money for fuel, booking a boiling drum in advance, and wrapping cakes of whatever size they chose[2].
How was Tet during the subsidy period different from Tet today?
The biggest difference lies in the preparation. Tet during the subsidy period was a process stretching over months, from saving coupons and queuing for goods to wrapping cakes, boiling them, and repairing the house. Today, Tet shopping in his words takes just one round of buying right before Tet[1].
Another difference is the holiday time. During the subsidy period, workers and officials got only three days off for Tet, with no long compensatory breaks as now[1]. Children loved Tet because they ate better and dressed nicer than on ordinary days, whereas today that has become common year-round[1].
Traveling home was different too. Transport in the subsidy period was scarce and poor, every trip a challenge, and sometimes one had to save leave from mid-year just to return home for a few days[1].
What dishes and flavors of Tet during the subsidy period left memories?
In the same Báo Nhân Dân article, the author recalls the Tet cake of his home province of Bắc Ninh: bánh phu thê of Đình Bảng village. Banh phu the is made from yellow flower glutinous rice, shredded papaya, mung bean, coconut, lotus seeds, gardenia fruit water, and distilled pomelo flower water, wrapped in dong leaves and boiled for 40 minutes[2].
The people of Dinh Bang village long set aside a field to grow yellow flower glutinous rice; every 10 kg of filtered glutinous rice yielded 4 kg of cake flour[2]. Banh phu the was offered on the ancestral altar alongside banh chung[2].
In that account, once everything else was ready, the five-fruit tray on the ancestral altar "lacked only the Tet bánh chưng to be respectfully offered"[2].
How have memories of Tet during the subsidy period been recorded?
Memories of Tet during the subsidy period are recorded mainly through personal recollections published in the press, interviews with those who lived through it, and some historical research. Historian Ngo Vuong Anh, in a piece published in Báo Đại Đoàn Kết in early 2020, stressed that the Tet of his generation bore the mark of its era, and whatever its colors, Tet is always beautiful for each person[1].
He also held that certain "Tet constants" should be kept, such as the spirit of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, filial affection, a harmonious family atmosphere, and the traditions of valuing learning and respecting teachers[1].
An article in VietNamNet in 2019 recorded Ms. Trinh Thi Thuy's memories of the coupon era and observed that despite the hardship, Tet days were still full of joy and excitement[3].
Does Tet during the subsidy period still influence Tet today?
The clearest influence is in how it is remembered and told. Many who grew up in the subsidy period still seek traditional flavors through Tet candied fruit and old-style sweets, as Ms. Trinh Thi Thuy still buys cakes and candied fruit from Hanoi Confectionery Joint Stock Company, the successor to the Hanoi Confectionery Enterprise[3].
Another influence is the appreciation of togetherness. Tet in Vietnamese belief is a time for the whole family to gather around the feast tray and the tea table, sharing confidences[3]. This is still mentioned as a constant of Tet, even as its forms change.
Looking at Tet during the subsidy period as a memorable time is the view of those who lived through it, as recorded in the press[1][2][3].
