Saigon Travelogue: The Flavor of the International Lunar New Year

Saigon residents largely follow the customs of the Mekong Delta region during Tet (Lunar New Year), due to shared traditions and lifestyles. However, they also celebrate Tet with a distinctly "international" style. After the busy preparations and rituals, Saigonese people often prefer to go out and enjoy themselves. The customs for celebrating Tet are simpler and less elaborate. Therefore, anyone wishing to experience Tet in Saigon can easily blend into both traditional customs and modern recreational activities.

Tet in Southern Vietnam at the flower market "On the docks, under the boats"

Flower markets are a beautiful blend of tradition and modernity in Saigon's Tet (Lunar New Year) culture. From the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, the flower markets become bustling, with flowers arriving by boat from the Mekong Delta and Da Lat, spreading across the streets of Ho Chi Minh City. Visitors come to the flower markets not only to buy flowers but also to admire the artistic floral arrangements, take souvenir photos, and enjoy the lively and warm atmosphere of Saigon during the spring season.

In the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), the spring flower market at Binh Dong Wharf comes alive with vibrant colors, adding a gentle beauty to the bustling city of Saigon. Binh Dong Wharf is an ancient boat landing bearing the mark of old Saigon's waterways. With the passage of time and many changes, waterway trade is no longer the primary mode of transport, and the wharf is no longer as busy as before. However, the flower market has been preserved through many Tet seasons. The flower market stretches for about 3km like a carpet of flowers along Binh Dong Wharf and the Tau Hu Canal, running parallel to Vo Van Kiet Boulevard.

In the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), Binh Dong wharf is bustling with activity. Hundreds of boats carrying flowers and ornamental plants arrive from various provinces. There are many types of ornamental plants in all sizes and styles for people to choose from. The traders mainly come from the southwestern provinces of Vietnam, such as Long An, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Vinh Long, and Soc Trang. They consider their boats their homes; all their daily activities take place on board during their journeys transporting goods. Each boat carrying goods to the city is laden with fruits, flowers, and agricultural products. Smaller boats mainly carry small potted flowers like chrysanthemums, marigolds, and bougainvillea. Larger boats carry ornamental apricot trees, kumquat trees, and coconut trees in a variety of shapes, attracting many visitors during the spring festival.

The Ben Binh Dong flower market is not only a familiar Tet flower market but also a transit point for flowers from the Mekong Delta to Saigon, from where they are distributed to provinces throughout the country. Ornamental plants of all colors are displayed in a long row along the road. Not only are there flowers and fruits characteristic of the South, but also flowers and fruits from all over the country, such as peach blossoms, primroses, and azaleas… Flowers are transferred from boats to shore, or customers can go directly to the boats of the gardeners to choose the most suitable potted flowers to display during Tet. The flower market is always bustling and lively, most beautiful in the early morning and late afternoon.

Although Bình Đông Wharf has shrunk in size today, it remains a mooring and trading point for many ships from afar. The bustling market scene on Bình Đông Wharf, with boats sailing back and forth and people busily buying and selling, is a beautiful and familiar image to the people of Saigon. This simple scene evokes old memories in a modern and dynamic city.

Calligrapher's Street - where tradition is modernized and made accessible.

One place you can't miss if you want to fully experience Tet in Saigon is the Calligraphy Street. Having become a traditional cultural space serving the people of Ho Chi Minh City during the Lunar New Year, this year, Calligraphy Street is bustling with people coming to ask for calligraphy in the days leading up to Tet.

Compared to previous years, this year's Calligraphy Street features more stalls. The miniature landscapes are also more elaborate and eye-catching. Inside the Youth Cultural Center grounds is a street lined with nearly 100 apricot blossom trees, serving as a place for locals and tourists to visit and take photos. Alongside the vibrant yellow apricot blossom garden, Calligraphy Street also contributes to the unique atmosphere of the Vietnamese Tet festival.

During the Lunar New Year of the Rabbit (2013), the street of calligraphers was bustling with visitors and calligraphers from very early on. From around the 18th day of the 12th lunar month, the street of calligraphers began to liven up, and the closer it got to Tet, the more visitors it attracted. Here, visitors could see calligraphers in traditional ao dai (long robes) diligently writing characters on paper scrolls under beautifully decorated tents adorned with apricot and peach blossoms.

This year's calligraphers' street features beautifully decorated stalls... The participation of many young people is a positive sign that the traditional calligraphy of the nation is loved and embraced by the younger generation.

Visit Phu My Hung Flower Street to experience the international Tet (Lunar New Year) atmosphere.

Besides its traditional beauty, the Phu My Hung flower street for Tet Quy Mao 2023 showcases the cultural exchange between Vietnam and other Asian countries, thereby creating a sense of closeness and familiarity for foreigners living and celebrating Tet in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Phu My Hung Flower Street for the Year of the Rabbit is located next to the Crescent Lake – one of the most popular entertainment spots during the Lunar New Year. The flower street is arranged into three decorative segments: Phu, My, and Hung. The "Phu" segment features miniature scenes depicting abundance, prosperity, and wealth; the "My" segment showcases the cultural exchange between Vietnam and several other countries celebrating the Lunar New Year, creating a sense of familiarity and closeness for foreigners living in Vietnam; and the "Hung" segment represents development and hopes for a bright future.

This year's Phu My Hung Flower Street features two main colors, red and yellow, strongly reflecting the atmosphere of the Lunar New Year, along with interwoven miniature landscapes expressing the theme of "Prosperous Spring." In addition, rows of sunflowers and yellow apricot blossoms are arranged along both sides to make the flower street even more vibrant. A highlight of the Phu My Hung Flower Street each year, which many visitors enjoy, is the recreation of a peaceful countryside setting. This year, the flower street recreates a vast, lush green rice field and cornfield, creating a refreshing and pleasant atmosphere. The blend of modernity and traditional colors has delighted many Vietnamese people and foreign tourists alike this year.

Tet in Saigon is not only a traditional national holiday but also an international one, as many people from different regions and countries have settled here, bringing their Tet culinary cultures to the city. This is why Tet in Saigon is richer, more diverse, and more unique than Tet anywhere else in Vietnam.

Yen Nhi