The nuances of Tet

Tet is Vietnam's most important holiday. It is more than just a one-time blowout like new year celebrations in many Western countries. It’s a seven-day festivity charged with symbolism that sees a combination of religious rituals, secular and social customs.

But beyond traditions, this episode tries to complement the conversation about what makes Tet special with the downsides of it as an evolving tradition. We spoke to three Vietnamese from vastly different walks of life and their own unique takes on Tet. A soon-to-be mom who has not spent Tet with her family for five years, a Vietnamese-American who explores the transnational dimension of Tet, and an artist who is rather apathetic of the concept.

Disclaimer: By the time this episode was aired, there might be some new developments in Vietnam's border restrictions that are different from what it is mentioned in the episode. Additionally, a lot of the traditions and rituals mentioned in this episode belong to the majority ethnic group, the Kinh, since Vietnam has 54 ethnic groups, while many minority groups also have distinct traditions, they may pray to different gods, ascribe different meanings to the hours and days of New Year, or eat different dishes.

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Vietnam and Boba podcast is a narrative journalism podcast which features local voices and perspectives about socioeconomic, cultural and policy issues in Vietnam to the global audience. It is brought to you by Vietnamese journalist, host and producer Sen Nguyen and multimedia storyteller and photojournalist Giang Pham.