TET is the most important festival in the Vietnamese calendar. In the days leading up to it there are flower markets everywhere and in the same way that every household in the UK buys a Christmas Tree households buy TET trees, Bonsai, Kum Quat trees and Chrysanthemum flowers.

Our guest house gave us the traditional TET rice cake, (see previous entry), and households produce a TET table to celebrate the new year with the Spirits of the Hearth.

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New Years Eve we went to the area just outside the Citadel set out for the celebrations. It seemed like the entire population of the motor bike world was arriving (see video). We watched a couple of Asian Pop bands and decided that viewing the fireworks would be best outside the Citadel or we would be there all night!!

Bizarrely enough, and to kid you not, the top tune for new year is ABBA’s Happy New Year from their 1980 Album Super Trouper!! It’s played day & night everywhere, shops, buses, taxi’s, yup everywhere. At midnight we were about 1km+ away from the Citadel Festivities over the Perfume River. At midnight the fireworks started accompanied by ABBA…….15 minutes later the spectacular show finally ended but ABBA continued, probably until dawn!!

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Back to the guesthouse and we were greeted by our hosts with more TET treats, candied fruits, nuts and hot beef, plus a glass of “stuff”.

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Next morning we were going on a trip and waiting in reception for our bus. Some of the owners friends arrived, dressed to the 9’s, and they cracked open a bottle of Johnny Walker at 8 a.m. Neil was invited to imbibe and, feeling obliged, he joined in!!

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Happy New Year …. Chuc Mung Nam Moi.