These dishes are indispensable in the Tet feast.

North

Chung cake

Photo: dienmayxanh

Banh chung (Vietnamese sticky rice cake) has a long history linked to the legend of King Lang Liêu, the 16th Hung King. To express gratitude to his ancestors and to heaven and earth, Prince Lang Liêu created banh chung, symbolizing the earth. Banh chung, with its meat and mung bean filling, is the only traditional Vietnamese sticky rice cake with such a long history. Many Vietnamese families traditionally boil banh chung to give as gifts and to enjoy at home during the long Tet holiday. The image of people gathering around the stove watching the pot of banh chung cook remains a warm and nostalgic memory of this traditional festival for many.

Frozen meat

Photo: hoamaitet

Pork jelly is a signature dish of Northern Vietnam. In the chilly weather, pork jelly becomes even more delicious and appealing. This dish is made from pork belly (chicken can be substituted) plus a piece of pork skin. All ingredients are simmered until tender. After cooking, the pot is removed from the stove and placed outside, covered tightly so the dish absorbs the cool night air. By morning, a beautiful pot of pork jelly is ready. Enjoying pork jelly in the cool weather provides a uniquely delicious and appealing experience.

Pickled onions

Photo: Youtube

"Fatty meat, pickled onions, red couplets. New Year's pole, firecrackers, green sticky rice cake" is a well-known Vietnamese rhyme that every Vietnamese person knows during Tet (Lunar New Year). Pickled onions are an indispensable dish with their sour, salty, and spicy flavors from the pickled onions. Pickled onions are often used as a condiment to accompany sticky rice cakes or fatty meats like jellied meat, braised pork, or boiled pork to reduce the richness.

Dried bamboo shoot soup

Photo: phunutoday

Dried bamboo shoots neutralize the richness of the pork, creating a subtly sweet and refreshing flavor in this traditional dish.

Pork sausage - Pork ear sausage

Photo: phunutoday

A traditional feast in Northern Vietnam is never complete without a plate of lean pork sausage or pork ear sausage placed in the center.

Fried spring rolls

Photo: radiome

Fried spring rolls (Nem rán) are not only a familiar dish in everyday family meals but also an indispensable part of the traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) feast in Northern Vietnam. The spring rolls are fried until golden brown with a crispy outer layer, and the filling inside contains meat, eggs, wood ear mushrooms, and bean sprouts, all tender and flavorful. The dipping sauce for fried spring rolls must be expertly prepared, skillfully balancing the salty, sweet, sour, and spicy flavors for a rich and well-rounded taste.

Stewed tea

Photo: may.vn

The flavor of mung bean sweet soup is unique; it's refreshing, smooth, and has the delicious taste of mung beans with a subtle fragrance of pomelo blossoms. During Tet (Vietnamese New Year), after eating many protein- and fat-rich foods, a piece of mung bean sweet soup as a dessert helps to reduce the feeling of fullness.

Central region

Banh Tet

Photo: Vove

Just as people in Northern Vietnam have banh chung (square sticky rice cake) for Tet (Lunar New Year), people in Central and Southern Vietnam have banh tet (cylindrical sticky rice cake). Banh tet from Central Vietnam is simple and rustic. The main ingredients are similar to banh tet from Southern Vietnam, including sticky rice, mung beans, pork, etc. However, the sticky rice portion is much larger than the filling, and the cake is tied quite tightly, making it firmer and allowing it to be stored for longer.

Rice cake

Photo: 8monngonmoingay

A delicious and appealing cake, also indispensable on the ancestral altar during Tet (Lunar New Year), is banh to. Banh to is made from fragrant glutinous rice, brown sugar, ginger, and sesame seeds. During Tet, this dish is often made in large quantities to be consumed over several months.

Pork marinated in fish sauce

Photo: bepgiadinh

Pork marinated in fish sauce is a very popular dish and an indispensable part of the Tet (Lunar New Year) feast. This dish is made from boiled pork, sugar mixed with fish sauce. After the ingredients cool, the pork is placed in a glass jar, and the fish sauce mixture is slowly poured over it until the meat is completely submerged. After about 3 days, the pork is ready to eat as it absorbs the fish sauce.

Southern

Banh Tet

Photo: Thanh Nien

Banh tet (sticky rice cake) symbolizes prosperity and abundance passed down through generations and is an indispensable part of Tet (Vietnamese New Year). There are many types of banh tet, such as savory banh tet, banh tet with mixed fillings, sweet banh tet, and vegetarian banh tet without filling.

Braised pork

Photo: 6monngonmoingay

Perhaps the most famous traditional Tet dish of the people of Southern Vietnam is braised pork with coconut milk, also known as braised pork with rice wine or braised pork with duck eggs. And only in the South can you find a way to cook braised pork that is delicious and appealing beyond compare.

Bitter melon soup

Photo: newszing

This is a common dish in Southern Vietnamese families and is also served during Tet (Lunar New Year) with the meaning of helping to push away hardships. It is also a refreshing and nutritious dish for the body during Tet, when the weather in Southern Vietnam starts to get hot.

Pickled shallots with dried shrimp

Photo: haisanmoingay

Southern Vietnam also favors pickled shallots like Central Vietnam, but uniquely, pickled shallots in the South are not eaten with sticky rice cakes (bánh tét), but are usually served with dried shrimp as a separate dish. Although simple, this dish is indispensable and always appears on the Tet (Lunar New Year) feast table.

Ngoc Anh (TH)

The Thanh