Interst facts about Vietnamese new year

1. Clean and decorate the home: (Dọn dẹp và trang trí nhà)

All homes are often cleaned and decorated before New Year’s Eve. Children will be in charge of sweeping and scrubbing the floor. The kitchen has to be cleaned before the 23rd night of the last lunar month. Usually, the head of the household cleans the dust and ashes (from incense) from the ancestral altars. In general, it is a common belief that cleaning the house will get rid of the bad fortunes associated with the old year.

Nhà nhà đều được dọn dẹp và trang trí gọn gàng trước Đêm Giao thừa. Con cái trong nhà cũng có  trách nhiệm phải quét nhà và lau nhà. Căn bếp trong nhà cũng cần được dọn dẹp trước đêm 23 Tết (đêm 23 của tháng âm lịch cuối cùng trong năm). Thông thường thì chủ nhà là người lau bụi và tàn hương trên bàn thờ tổ tiên. Nhìn chung, việc lau nhà được người ta tin rằng sẽ giúp họ xua đuổi đi những điều không may trong năm cũ.

To be in charge of : có trách nhiệm phải…., chịu trách nhiệm việc gì.

Sweep/Srub the floor: Quét/lau sàn nhà.

Ash (noun):  tàn tro của một vật gì sau khi đốt còn lại

Ancestral (adj): thuộc về Tổ tiên

Altar (noun): Bàn thờ

To get rid of something : rũ bỏ đi thứ gì đó…. (Eg. To get rid of stress: xua tan căng thẳng)

2. Tet means “getting new clothes”: (Tết nghĩa là Mua sắm quần áo mới)

This is often the most interesting part of the Vietnamese New Year among children. Parents usually buy new clothes and shoes for their children a month prior to the New Year but children cannot wear their new clothes until the first day of the New Year and onward. The best clothes are always worn on the first day of the year.

Đây cũng là điều thú vị nhất đối với  trẻ con trong ngày Tết cổ truyền của Việt Nam. Bố mẹ thường mua áo quần mới, giày dép mới cho con cái của họ trước Tết khoảng 1 tháng nhưng chúng không được mặc trước Mồng 1 Tết. Những bộ áo quần đẹp nhất phải được mặc vào ngày đầu tiên của năm mới.

Prior to something : trước khi cái gì xảy ra (về mặt thời gian)

3. Farewell ceremony for the Kitchen Gods (Lễ tiễn đưa ông Táo về Thiên Đình)

Kitchen God on the way back to Heaven Place – Ông Táo về trời

Seven days (the 23rd night of the last lunar month) prior to the New Year, each Vietnamese family offers a farewell ceremony for the Kitchen God to go up to the Heaven Palace. His task is to make an annual report to the Jade Emperor of the family’s affairs throughout the year!

7 ngày trước Tết (Đêm 23 của tháng âm lịch cuối cùng trong năm), mỗi gia đình Việt Nam tổ chức lễ tiễn đưa Ông Táo lên thiên đình. Họ cho rằng nhiệm vụ của ông Táo là phải báo cáo thường niên với Ngọc Hoàng về những gì đã xảy ra ở hạ giới trong suốt 1 năm vừa qua.

Annual report (noun phrase): Báo cáo thường niên

Kitchen God: Ông Táo

Heaven Palace: Thiên đình

Jade Emperor: Ngọc Hoàng

4. New Year’s Eve ( Đêm giao thừa) 

New Year’s Eve – Ho Chi Minh City

In a literal translation, New Year also means “Passage from the Old to the New Year”. It is a belief among Vietnamese people that there are 12 Sacred Animals from the Zodiac taking turn monitoring and controlling the affairs of the earth. Therefore, New Year’s Eve is the moment of seeing the old chief to end his ruling term and pass his power to the new chief. New Year’s Eve is also the time for Ong Tao (Kitchen God) to return to earth after making the report to the Jade Emperor. Every single family should offer an open-air ceremony to welcome him back to their kitchen.

Theo nghĩa đen, “năm mới” có nghĩa là giai đoạn chuyển giao giữa hai năm. Người ta tin rằng có 12 con vật trong Cung Hoàng Đạo lần lượt ngự trị và trông cai những sự việc xảy ra ở Trái đất. Vì vậy, Đêm giao thừa là khoảnh khắc để tiễn đưa những “thủ lĩnh” này,  kết thúc một nhiệm kỳ và chuyển giao quyền lực sang một “thủ lĩnh” khác. Năm mới cũng là thời khắc để Ông Táo trở về Thiên đình để báo cáo với Ngọc Hoàng. Mỗi gia đình cũng cần phải làm lễ ngoài trời để rước ông Táo trở lại bếp của mình.

Literal (adj): thuộc về nghĩa đen

Sacred (adj): linh thiêng -> Sacred Animal : Những loài vật linh thiêng trong Cung Hoàng Đạo

Zodiac (noun): Cung Hoàng Đạo, khu vực mà Mặt trời, Mặt trăng, các hành tinh, các vì sao chuyển động và ảnh hưởng đến con người và những sự kiện nhất định.

Chief (noun): Người đứng đầu một tổ chức

Ruling Term: Nhiệm kỳ cai trị

5.  The first caller on New Year’s Day (Người xông đất đầu năm) 

New Year’s Eve is the most sacred time of the year. Therefore, the first houseguest to offer the first greeting in the New Year is very important. If the particular guest has a good aura such as well-respected, well-educated, successful, and famous, etc, it is then believed that the family will receive luck and good fortune throughout the year. The belief of “xong dat” still remains nowadays, especially among families with businesses.

Đêm giao thừa là khoảnh khắc thiêng liêng nhất của năm. Vì vậy, vị khách đầu tiên đến nhà chúc Tết là rất quan trọng. Nếu vị khách đó có những “tinh hoa” như: được nhiều người tôn trọng, có học thức, thành công, nổi tiếng, v.v thì người ta sẽ tin rằng gia đình đó sẽ nhận được nhiều may mắn và vận may trong năm mới. Niềm tin về tục Xông đất vẫn còn cho đến ngày hôm nay, đặc biệt là đối với những gia đình làm ăn, kinh doanh.

Houseguest (noun): khách (của gia đình)

Aura (noun): tinh hoa (của con người)

6.  Apricot flowers and peach flowers (Hoa mai và hoa đào):

Peach flowers – Hoa Đào

Apricot Flowers – Hoa Mai vàng

Flower buds and blossoms are the symbols for beginning a new year. These two distinctive flowers are widely sold and purchased during Tet including apricot flowers and peach flowers. Apricot flowers are the yellow apricot flowers often seen in Southern Viet Nam which are more adaptable to the hot weather of southern regions. Thus, it is known as the primary flower in every home. Peach flowers are the warm pink that match well with the dry, cold weather from the North. New Year will not be a happy celebration if there is no sight of apricot flowers in the south or peach flowers in the north in every home.

Chồi, nụ và hoa là những biểu trưng của một năm mới đang bắt đầu. Hai loài hoa đặc biệt được mua bán rộng rãi khắp mỗi khi Tết đến là hoa Mai và hoa Đào. Hoa Mai là một loài hoa màu vàng thường được thấy ở miền Nam, thích nghi với tiết trời nóng bức ở nơi này. Vì vậy, Mai trở thành loài hoa chủ đạo được trưng bày trong các gia đình khi Tết đến. Đào là một sắc hồng phù hợp với khí hậu khô, lạnh ở miền Bắc Việt Nam. Năm mới sẽ không còn là một dịp lễ vui tươi, hạnh phúc nếu thiếu vắng đi hoa Mai ở miền Nam và hoa Đào ở miền Bắc.

Adaptable (noun): có thể thích nghi (với điều kiện của một nơi)

Buds (noun): nhị, chồi (hoa)

Blossom (noun): hoa (của cây)

7.  Giving away red envelopes (filled with lucky money): (Phong bì lì xì và tiền lì xì) 

This is a cultural practice that has been maintained for generations. Red envelopes symbolize luck and wealth. It is very common to see older people giving sealed red envelopes containing some lucky money to younger people.

Before receiving the envelopes, younger people have to perform a certain greeting. Reciprocally, the older ones would return good advice and words of wisdom, encouraging the younger ones to keep up with the schoolwork, live harmoniously with others, and obey their parents. This greeting ritual and “Li Xi” is also known as “Mung Tuoi”, honoring the achievement of another year to one’s life.

Đây là một phong tục văn hóa đã được gìn giữ qua nhiều thế hệ. Những phong bì lì xì đỏ đại diện cho sự may mắn và sự giàu có. Rất dễ để có thể bắt gặp những lúc người lớn lì xì những phong bì lì xì đỏ được dán lại cho những người nhỏ tuổi hơn ở nơi đây.

Trước khi nhận phong bì lì xì, người nhỏ tuổi hơn thường chúc những câu chúc tốt đẹp nhất đến người khác. Để đáp lại, người lớn thường cho họ những lời khuyên bổ ích và đầy kinh nghiệm nhằm động viên họ tiếp tục nỗ lực hơn nữa trong học tập, sống hòa hợp với người khác, và vâng lời bố mẹ. Việc chúc nhau và lì xì như thế được gọi là “Mừng tuổi”, để khuyến khích họ đạt được những thành tích nhất định trong năm mới.

Reciprocally (Adverb): có sự qua lại

Wisdom (noun): kinh nghiệm, sự từng trải

To keep up with something: tiếp tục phát huy cái gì

8. To make offerings to Ancestors (Cúng cơm Ông Bà, Tổ tiên):

Make offerings to ancestors – Cúng Tổ tiên

This ceremony is also taken place on the first day of the New Year before noontime. The head of the household should perform the proper ritual (offering food, wine, cakes, fruits, and burn incense) to invite the souls of the ancestors to take part in the celebration with the family. This is the time for families to honor the souls of their ancestors and present the welfare of the family.

Việc này thường được tổ chức vào trước giờ trưa của ngày đầu tiên của năm mới. Chủ nhà thường thực hiện một số nghi lễ cúng kính nhất định (cúng thức ăn, rượu, bánh, trái cây, và thắp nhang) để rước linh hồn của Tổ tiên mình về tham dự bữa tiệc này cùng gia đình. Đây là thời gian để những gia đình phụng sự linh hồn của Tổ tiên họ và thể hiện những gì tốt đẹp nhất của gia đình (sức khỏe, sự hạnh phúc).

Take place on/in: diễn ra vào ngày/tại nơi nào

Ritual (noun): nghi lễ, thủ tục

Incense (noun): Nhang, hương

Welfare (noun): sự thịnh vượng, sự dồi dào sức khỏe, sự hạnh phúc

9. Family reunion (Sum họp gia đình):

Family reunion – Sum họp gia đình

New Year celebration means all family members return to their family even though they live and work in another city. Making the way home is the most exciting journey in one year’s time. No matter how hard and expensive the journey is, one must get home before the New Year’s Eve.

Năm mới đồng nghĩa với việc các thành viên trong gia đình tụ họp lại dù họ có sinh sống và làm việc ở một thành phố khác đi chăng nữa. Về quê ăn Tết là chuyến đi thú vị nhất trong năm của một người. Dù chuyến đi có khó khăn hay đắt đỏ như thế nào, mọi người cũng phải trở về nhà trước Đêm giao thừa.

10. Gambling (Cờ bạc):

Cock fighting – chọi gà

The most common and popular entertainment activity in the New Year is gambling for money, ranging from playing cards to lottery and cock fighting betting etc. Almost all people take part in some sorts of gambling in the New Year.

Hoạt động vui chơi giải trí phổ biến nhất trong năm mới ở Việt Nam đó là tham gia vào những trò chơi cờ bạc ăn tiền, từ tú-lơ-khơ đến những trò chơi xổ số, hay chọi gà, v.v. Hầu hết mọi người đều tham gia vào những trò chơi này trong năm mới.

11. Festivals (Lễ hội):

Lễ hội chọi trâu truyền thống Hải Lựu ( Sông Lô, Vĩnh Phúc)

There are thousands of festivals to celebrate the New Year. There are local ones and national ones. Festivals are organized to welcome the New Year and wish for more success, happiness and luck. Festivals can last until the end of April, where businesses, companies and authority offices start to work more seriously.

Có hàng ngàn những lễ hội được tổ chức trong năm mới, kể cả ở địa phương hay toàn quốc. Những lễ hội này được tổ chức để chào đón năm mới và chúc cho những thành công, hạnh phúc, may mắn trong tương lai. Lễ hội có thể kéo dài cho đến cuối tháng tư, lúc mà những doanh nghiệp, công ty, cán bộ công chức bắt đầu làm việc một cách thực sự.

Source: Global Vietnam Visa

New Year Wishes (Lời chúc đầu năm)

Tet holidays are the moments of happiness and family enjoy, therefore Vietnamese often dedicate the most beautiful words to their family and friends on this occasion. Here is the list of the most common ones:

1. Năm mới dồi dào sức khỏe: I wish you a healthy new year

2. Năm mới tấn tài tấn lộc: I wish you a wealthy new year

3. Năm mới thăng quan tiến chức: I wish that you will get promoted in the new year

4. Năm mới toàn gia bình an: I wish that the new year will bring health to all your family

5. Năm mới thắng lợi mới: New year, new triumphs (often heard in political speech)

6. Vạn sự như ý: All wished come true

7. Chúc hay ăn chóng lớn: Eat more, grow rapidly (for children)

8. Chúc mau chóng tìm được người yêu: New lover will come in the new year (for single people)

9. Tiền vào như nước Sông Đà, tiền ra nhỏ giọt như cà phê phin: Money influx is as strong as Da’s river, expenditure is as little as dripping coffee.

Source: Red Crane Travel and Consulting Company Ltd - http://www.redcranetravel.com

Vietnamese New Year

Vietnamese New Year, more commonly known by its shortened name Tết or Tết Nguyên Đán, is the most important and popular holiday and festival in Vietnam. It is the Vietnamese New Year marking the arrival of spring based on the Chinese calendar, a lunisolar calendar. The name Tết Nguyên Đán is Sino-Vietnamese for Feast of the First Morning, derived from the Hán nôm characters 節 元 旦.
Tết is celebrated on the same day as Chinese New Year, though exceptions arise due to the one-hour time difference between Hanoi and Beijing resulting in the alternate calculation of the new moon. It takes place from the first day of the first month of the Lunar calendar (around late January or early February) until at least the third day. Many Vietnamese prepare for Tết by cooking special holiday foods and cleaning the house. There are a lot of customs practiced during Tết, such as visiting a person's house on the first day of the new year (xông nhà), ancestral worshipping, wishing New Year's greetings, giving lucky money to children and elderly people, and opening a shop.
Tết is also an occasion for pilgrims and family reunions. During Tết, Vietnamese visit their relatives and temples, forgetting about the troubles of the past year and hoping for a better upcoming year. They consider Tết to be the first day of spring and the festival is often called Hội xuân (spring festival).

Contents 1 Customs 1.1 Before New Year's Eve 1.2 The New Year 1.3 Traditional Celebrations 1.3.1 Decorations 2 Greetings 3 Food 4 Games and entertainment 5 Customs and taboos 5.1 Dos 5.2 Don'ts 6 Calendar and zodiac differences 7 References 8 External links

Customs

Vietnamese people usually return to their families during Tết. Some return to worship at the family altar or visit the graves of their ancestors in their homeland. They also clean the grave of their family as a sign of respect. Although Tết is a national holiday among all Vietnamese, each region and religion has its own customs.
Tết in the three Vietnamese regions can be divided into three periods, known as Tất Niên (penultimate New Year's Eve), Giao Thừa (New Year's Eve), and Tân Niên (the New Year), representing the preparation before Tết, the eve of Tết, and the days of and following Tết, respectively. All of these customs are to celebrate Tết in Vietnam.

Before New Year's Eve

This fruit basket is a decoration for the new year.

Tất Niên offering

This period begins one or two weeks before the actual celebration. The general atmosphere leading up to Tết is in the bustle of shopping, decorating the home, cooking traditional Tết food and waiting for relatives to return home. People try to pay off their debts in advance so that they can be debt-free on Tết. Parents buy new clothes for their children so that the children can wear them when Tết arrives. In the days leading up to Tết, the streets and markets are full of people. As the shops will be closed during Tết, people try to stock up on supplies as much as possible.
Vietnamese families usually have a family altar, to show respect to their ancestors. During Tết the altar is thoroughly cleaned and new offerings are placed there. This includes a tray of five different fruits on the altar called "Mâm Ngũ Quả" (literally, five fruits type). Traditionally, the three kitchen guardians for each house (Ông Táo) (Kitchen God), who report to the Jade Emperor about the events in that house over the past year, return to heaven on the 23rd day of the twelfth month by lunar calendar. Their departure is marked by a modest ceremony where the family offers sacrifices for them to use on their journey.
In the days leading up to Tết, each family cooks special holiday foods such as bánh chưng and bánh dầy. Preparations for these foods are quite extensive. Family members often take turns to keep watch on the fire overnight, telling each other stories about Tết of past years.

The New Year

A child in front of a tree decorated for Tết

A red envelope.

An altar from a family in Vietnam.

The first day of Tết is reserved for the nuclear family. Children receive a red envelope containing money from their elders. This tradition is called mừng tuổi (happy new age) in the north and lì xi in the south. Usually, children wear their new clothes and give their elders the traditional Tết greetings before receiving the money. Since the Vietnamese believe that the first visitor a family receives in the year determines their fortune for the entire year, people never enter any house on the first day without being invited first. The act of being the first person to enter a house on Tết is called xông đất, xông nhà or đạp đất, which is one of the most important rituals during Tết. According to Vietnamese tradition, if good things come to the family on the first day of the lunar New Year, the entire following year will also be full of blessings. Usually, a person of good temper, morality and success will be the lucky sign for the host family and be invited first into the house. However, just to be safe, the owner of the house will leave the house a few minutes before midnight and come back just as the clock strikes midnight to prevent anyone else entering the house first who might potentially bring any unfortunate events in the new year to the household.
Sweeping during Tết is taboo or xui (unlucky), since it symbolizes sweeping the luck away; that is why they clean before the new year. It is also taboo for anyone who experienced a recent loss of a family member to visit anyone else during Tết.
During subsequent days, people visit relatives and friends. Traditionally but not strictly, the second day of Tết is usually reserved for friends, while the third day is for teachers, who command respect in Vietnam. Local Buddhist temples are popular spots as people like to give donations and to get their fortunes told during Tết. Children are free to spend their new money on toys or on gambling games such as bầu cua cá cọp, which can be found in the streets. Prosperous families can pay for dragon dancers to perform at their house. There are also public performances for everyone to watch.

Traditional Celebrations

Ancestors Altar or Gods Altar.

These celebrations can last from a day up to the entire week, and the New Year is filled with people in the streets trying to make as much noise as possible using firecrackers, drums, bells, gongs, and anything they can think of to ward off evil spirits. This parade will also include different masks, and dancers hidden under the guise of what is known as the Mua Lan or Lion Dancing. The Lan is an animal between a lion and a dragon, and is the symbol of strength in the Vietnamese culture that is used to scare away evil spirits. After the parade, families and friends will come together to have a feast of traditional Vietnamese dishes, and share the happiness and joy of the New Year with one another. This is also the time where the elders will hand out to red envelopes with money to the children for good luck in exchange for Tết greetings (below).

Decorations

A decoration in honor of the year of the Dragon 2012.

New Year Decoration in Ho Chi Minh City (Sai Gon.

Cherry Blossom flower.

A calligraphist writing in hán tự in preparation for Tết.

Hoa mai

A calligraphist writing in hán tự in preparation for Tết, at the Temple of Literature, Hanoi (2011)

Traditionally, each family displays cây nêu, an artificial New Year Tree consisting of a bamboo pole 5 to 6 m long. The top end is usually decorated with many objects, depending on the locality, including good luck charms, origami fish, cactus branches, etc.
At Tết every house is usually decorated by hoa mai – Ochna integerrima (in the central and southern parts of Vietnam) or hoa đào – peach flower (in the northern part of Vietnam) or hoa ban (in mountain areas). In the north, some people (especially the elite in the past) also decorate their house with a Prunus mume tree (also called mai in Vietnamese, but referring to a totally different species from Ochna integerrima). In the north or central, the kumquat tree is a popular decoration for the living room during Tết. Its many fruits symbolize the fertility and fruitfulness that the family hopes for in the coming year.
Vietnamese people also decorate their homes with bonsai and flower plants such as chrysanthemum (hoa cúc), marigold (vạn thọ) symbolizing longevity, mào gà in Southern Vietnam and paperwhite flower (thủy tiên), hoa bướm in Northern Vietnam. In the past, there was a tradition that old people tried to make their paperwhite flowers blossom right the watch-night time. They also hung up Dong Ho Paintings and thu pháp (calligraphy pictures).

Greetings

Chùa Quang Minh Buddhist Temple in Chicago indicating the arrival of the New Year with a banner that reads "Chúc mừng xuân mới" (literally "Happy new spring").

The traditional greetings are "chúc mừng năm mới" (Happy New Year) and "cung chúc tân xuân" (gracious wishes of the new spring). People also wish each other prosperity and luck. Common wishes for Tết include:

• Sống lâu trăm tuổi (Long life of 100 years): used by children for elders. Traditionally, everyone is one year older on Tết, so children would wish their grandparents health and longevity in exchange for mừng tuổi or lì xì利是.
• An khang thịnh vượng (安康興旺, Security, good health, and prosperity)
• Vạn sự như ý (萬事如意, May myriad things go according to your will)
• Sức khỏe dồi dào (Plenty of health)
• Cung hỉ phát tài, from the Cantonese Gung hy fat choy (恭喜發財, Congratulations and be prosperous)
• Tiền vô như nước (May money flow in like water): used informally

Food

Banh Chung

People Gathering around to make these special cakes.

Banh Chung(bottom) Banh Day( top, still being prepared.

Candied fruits and seeds.

Candied fruits and seeds.

Sticky rice called xôi gấc.

In Vietnamese language, to celebrate Tết is to ăn Tết, literally meaning "eat Tết", showing the importance of food in its celebration. Some of the food is also eaten year-round, while other dishes are only eaten during Tết. Also, some of the food is vegetarian since it is believed to be good luck to eat vegetarian on Tết. Some traditional food on Tết are:

• Bánh chưng and bánh dầy: essentially tightly packed sticky rice with meat or bean fillings wrapped in Dong (Phrynium placentarium) leaves. When these leaves are unavailable banana leaves can be used as a substitute. Bánh chưng (rectangular to represent Earth) and bánh dầy (circular to represent Sky) are symbolically connected with Tết and are essential in any Tết celebration. Preparation is time-consuming, and can take days to cook. The story of their origins and their connection with Tết is often recounted to children while cooking them overnight.
• Hạt Dưa: roasted watermelon seeds, also eaten during Tết.
• Dưa Hành": pickled onion and pickled cabbage.
• Củ Kiệu: pickled small leeks.
• Mứt: These dried candied fruits are rarely eaten at any time besides Tết.
• Cầu Dừa Đủ Xoài - In southern Vietnam, popular fruits used for offerings at the family altar in fruit arranging art are the custard-apple/sugar-apple/soursop (mãng cầu), coconut (dừa), papaya (đu đủ), and mango (xoài), since they sound like "cầu vừa đủ xài" ([We] pray for enough [money/resoures/funds/goods/etc.] to use) in the southern dialect of Vietnamese.
• Thịt Kho Nước Dừa Meaning "Meat Stewed in Coconut Juice", it is a traditional dish of fatty pork stomach and medium boiled eggs stewed in a broth-like sauce made overnight of young coconut juice and nuoc mam. It is often eaten with pickled bean sprouts and chives, and white rice.

Games and entertainment

People enjoy traditional games during Tết, including: bầu cua, cờ tướng, ném còn, chọi trâu, đá gà and marshmallow toss. They also participate in some competitions presenting their knowledge, strength and aestheticism, such as the bird competition and ngâm thơ competition.
Firework display has also become an irreplaceable part of a Tết celebration in Vietnam. During the New Year's Eve, firework displays at major cities like Hà Nội, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, are broadcast through multiple national and local TV channels, accompanied by New Year wishes of the current president.
Gặp nhau cuối năm, Year-end gathering, is a national favorite comedy show broadcast until the last 30 minutes before the New Year's Eve. The Europop song Happy New Year by Swedish band ABBA is usually played during the festival nowadays.^[1]

Customs and taboos

Tet Festival in Little Saigon, Orange County, California

Paperwhite flower.

These customs come from traditions passed from generation to generation and have become standard. Because of the idea that the beginning will affect the middle and the end of the year, Vietnamese people avoid doing bad things and try to do good things during Tết holiday.

Dos

• One should give people lucky presents to enhance the relationship between themselves and others: new clothes, peach branches (for expelling evil), cocks/chickens (wishing for good manners), new rice (wishing for being well-fed), rice wine in a gourd (wishing for a rich and comfortable life), bánh chưng (or bánh tét) and bánh dày which symbolize sky and earth (for worshipping the ancestors), red things (red symbolizes happiness, luckiness, advantages) like watermelon, dogs (the bark – gâu gâu – sounds like the word giàu - richness in Vietnamese language), medicated oil (dầu in Vietnamese, also sounds similar to giàu).
• One should give lucky Dong Ho Paintings such as: "Gà đàn" (wishing for having many children), or "Vinh hoa", but should not give unlucky Dong Ho paintings like "Đánh ghen" related to legal proceedings.
• One should sprinkle lime powder around the house to expel evil.
• One should return all things borrowed, and pay debts before Tết.

Don'ts

• One shouldn't say or do bad things during New Year.
• One shouldn't hurt or kill animals or plants but should set them free. The reason for this originates from Buddhism's causality.
• One shouldn't sweep the house or empty out the rubbish to avoid luck and benefits going with it, especially on the first day of the new year. One shouldn't let the broom in confusion if people don't want it to be stolen.
• One shouldn't give these presents to others: clock or watch (the recipient's time is going to pass), cats (mèo in Vietnamese language pronounced like nghèo, poverty), medicine (the receiver will get ill), cuttle fish (its ink is black, an unlucky colour), writing ink (for the same reason), scissors or knives (they bring incompatibility).
• One shouldn't have duck meat because it brings unluckiness.
• One shouldn't have shrimp in case one would move backwards like shrimp, in other words, one would not succeed.
• One shouldn't let the rice-hulling mill go empty because it symbolizes failed crops.
• One shouldn't refuse anything others give or wish you during Tết.

Calendar and zodiac differences

The Chinese calendar is based on astronomical observations and is therefore dependent on what is considered the local standard time. North Vietnam switched from UTC+8 to UTC+7 on August 8, 1967, with South Vietnam doing likewise in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War. As a result of the shift, North and South Vietnam celebrated Tết 1968 on different days.^[2] The moving backwards of one hour had a similar effect to the 1929 Beijing time change and the effect of this change was also seen with the Winter Solstice of 1984. On Hanoi time the solstice fell on December 21, though on Beijing time the solstice fell on December 22.
As the 11th month of the Chinese calendar must contain the Winter Solstice, it is not the month from November 23, 1984 to December 21, 1984 as per the Vietnamese calendar, but rather the one from December 22, 1984 to January 20, 1985. The effect of this is that the Vietnamese New Year would fall on January 21, 1985, whereas the Chinese New Year would fall on February 20, 1985, a one-month difference. The two calendars agreed again after a leap month lasting from March 21 to April 19 was inserted into the Vietnamese calendar.
In the Vietnamese zodiac, the cat replaces the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac. So, a child born in the Chinese year of the Rabbit must also be born in the Vietnamese year of the cat (mẹo/mão). The Vietnamese zodiac uses the same animals as the Chinese zodiac for the remaining 11 years, though the Ox or cow of the Chinese zodiac is usually considered to be a water buffalo (sửu/trâu) in the Vietnamese zodiac.

The 12 Chinese zodiac jade figurines.

Stone carving of Chinese zodiac

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%E1%BA%BFt