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One afternoon, just before Tet (Lunar New Year), the city began to slow down to its own rhythm. In the market, pre-packaged banh chung (traditional rice cakes) were neatly arranged in stainless steel trays; in the supermarket, gio lua (pork sausage), thit dong (jellied meat), and nem ran (fried spring rolls) were neatly packaged in boxes, labeled with production and expiration dates. The modern Tet unfolds before us without the pungent smell of kitchen smoke, without the frantic clanging of knives and cutting boards during the days leading up to the new year. And from there, the familiar question returns to each of us food lovers:
Is the traditional Tet cuisine today still elaborate, or is it elaborate in a different way?
Tet is less strenuous, but it's never been simple.
If "elaborate" is understood as physically demanding work, then indeed, the Tet feast today has become much simpler. Fewer families still wrap banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) from the night of the thirtieth, fewer people stay up all night watching over the pot of cakes, and fewer mothers are willing to stand for hours by the stove simmering the jellied meat until it's perfectly clear and sweet. Instead, there are pre-ordering services, "all-inclusive Tet packages" stalls, and a few taps on a phone screen.
A typical Northern Vietnamese feast. Photo: Le Viet Khanh
But this simplification doesn't mean carelessness. Modern Tet is less labor-intensive, but more focused on choice. People no longer ask "how many dishes are enough for the feast," but rather consider what dishes will be on the table, whether they are suitable for their health, appetite, the number of people celebrating Tet, and the spirit and habits of their family. They choose to celebrate Tet in the most streamlined way possible, so that the Tet season is free from the worries of cleaning, cooking, and portioning out food for the three days of Tet. The elaborate, old-fashioned dishes of meatballs, spring rolls, chicken, pork sausage, sticky rice... have left the cramped kitchen to move into the space of consciousness, aesthetics, and personal identity.
A "hybrid" Tet feast
In urban kitchens, I encounter many "hybrid" Tet feasts. There's still banh chung (traditional rice cake), but it's brown rice banh chung for those on a diet. There's still braised pork, but in new ways with flavors ranging from Coca-Cola braised pork to Chinese-style Dongpo braised pork. Or the elaborate fish ball soup has been replaced by a simple, haphazard vegetable soup with various root vegetables and pork bones, just like a regular meal. However, some families still want to follow the traditional Tet feast of the past. Some families maintain the Northern style with bamboo shoot soup and pork sausage; some Central Vietnamese families add pickled vegetables, fermented pork, and sour fermented pork; and some Southern Vietnamese families can't do without braised pork with eggs and coconut milk.
There are still some families who want to follow the traditional Tet feast as it was in the past.
This reflects modern life with the influx of many different cultures, bringing with them countless variations and innovations. A plate of Dongpo braised pork doesn't diminish the festive spirit of Tet; it helps us change our palates and brings a fresh breeze to the meal. A plate of brown rice sticky rice cake allows family members on diets to enjoy a piece of cake together. Or a bowl of vegetable and bone broth soup allows grandmothers and mothers to rest more instead of complicating and elaborately preparing the reunion meal.
A feast is like a soft statement.
In the past, the Tet feast was highly standardized. Certain dishes were almost mandatory; their absence meant the ceremony was incomplete. Today, the feast has gradually become a subtle statement about lifestyle. Some families choose a purely Vietnamese feast as a way to connect with their roots. Younger families incorporate a few European and Asian dishes to reflect a global lifestyle. Others reduce meat consumption and increase vegetables and fruits, focusing on health as a way to enter the new year more lightly. Here, the sophistication is no longer about the number of dishes, but about the concept behind the food. Each choice carries a thought about how to eat without feeling guilty, how to suit the body, and how to harmonize tradition and modernity.
Modern Tet feasts also place great emphasis on beverages. While in the past, Tet meals mainly consisted of rice, wine, and meat, today the list of drinks for Tet is increasingly diverse. From beer, traditional wine, soft drinks, and fruit juices to champagne, sparkling wine, kombucha, cider... and more modern beverages.
Modern life has changed the traditional Tet holiday, but it is precisely this tradition that preserves so many beautiful customs. Ultimately, Tet is simply an occasion for families to gather, feast, and celebrate a prosperous and fulfilling new year. Therefore, what to eat, what to drink, and how many dishes to include on the table have never been a mandatory formula that everyone must strictly adhere to.
Tet of presentation and experience
Modern Tet cuisine is also more elaborate in its presentation. We see beautifully arranged feasts. Even with simple dishes, they still look fresh and beautiful when displayed on the table, from the green of pickled onions, the delicate pink of freshly sliced pork sausage, the deep brown of braised meat, the golden brown of fried spring rolls... Many families photograph their feasts and share them on social media before eating – a new habit, but one that is not unfamiliar to the spirit of "cherishing the moment." The Tet meal thus becomes more appealing. People eat more slowly, talk more, reminisce about past Tet seasons and compare them to the present. The feast becomes a space for dialogue between generations.
The process of preparing a feast becomes a space for dialogue between generations.
With a love for Vietnamese cuisine and traditions, Travellive is not worried that modern Tet will lose its sophistication. We only see it shifting in form from elaborate in action to elaborate in thought; from elaborate out of obligation to elaborate out of choice; from elaborate and burdensome to more consciously elaborate. Tet today may have less kitchen smoke and less sweat, but it has never lost its beautiful meanings and depth. As long as people still take the time to think about what they eat, who they eat with, and what memories they will cherish, Tet cuisine will always remain a refined and humane cultural ritual.
And perhaps that's how Tet adapts to continue living in modern life. Tet meals don't need to be elaborate, with lavish feasts on every table, but they are delicious enough for people to realize they are entering a new year, with all the most familiar things still remaining on the table.
