As the Vietnamese Lunar New Year approaches, local tour operators have begun offering a number of activities in the hope of providing foreign tourists, as well as expats, with local experiences during the country’s biggest national holiday.

The Lunar New Year, which Vietnamese people call ‘Tet,’ falls on February 8 this year.

Deluxe Tours Group in collaboration with Vietnam Is Awesome will have one-day tours to the southern province of Vinh Long from February 8 to 15 (the first through eighth days of the lunar calendar’s first month).

On the tour titled “Cai Be – Vinh Long 1 Day,” tourists will boat on the Cai Be River, visit local house boats, and enjoy tea and traditional Vietnamese jams while chatting with local people about the Tet holiday.

Participants will also have the opportunity to visit the local bakeries that produce ‘com’ (pop rice – a favored junk food in southern Vietnam) and ‘banh trang’ (rice paper). During the visit, they will not only see how the dishes are made, but also sample the final product.

An experienced guide will then take visitors across the Mekong River to witness local fishing and hear stories of daily life in the region.

Visitors will join a local family to experience traditional Tet holiday customs like offering lucky money to children and walking along the village to watch the Lunar New Year celebration.

At the end of the trip, participants will visit Tien Chau Pagoda in Vinh Long to experience ‘hai loc’ (collecting young buds to wish for luck in the new year).

Two foreigners from Belarus are pictured reading descriptions of the meaning of Vietnamese customs and traditional activities during Tet holidays at the 2016 Tet Viet (Vietnamese Tet) Festival at the Univers. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Saigontourist, another tour operator, will also continue to offer its traditional Tet tours. As usual, the company gives many options to tourists who want to experience the holiday the way the Vietnamese do.

According to the organizer, the half-day “Tet with Saigonese” tour will bring tourists a chance to indulge themselves in the festive atmosphere of Ho Chi Minh City during Tet while visiting the flower fair it Tao Dan Cultural Park.

They will join with local people to pray for good luck and happiness at Xa Loi Pagoda (or Giac Lam Pagoda, Lang Ong Temple) and Thien Hau Temple, then take a cyclo ride around an area laden with Chinese and witness different traditions such as unicorn dance, traditional games, and more.

Participants will then come to local homes to continue Tet festivities by being greeted with the happy wish “Chuc Mung Nam Moi”(Happy New Year), offered traditional dishes, and invited to join games with the family members.

The tour will run from February 8 to 11 (the first to fourth days of the Lunar New Year).

Meanwhile, the full-day tour “Tet in the Mekong Delta” will give visitors a full-day excursion to My Tho, a peaceful town on the bank of the Mekong River, 75km south of Ho Chi Minh City, to explore Thoi Son Islet, Vinh Trang Pagoda and experience the daily life of the locals.

The tour features a stroll through the season’s flower fair, a cruise on the Mekong River, a visit to the watermelon market, a stop at a local home living on floriculture, a traditional lunch with the locals, and a cooking practice session of ‘banh tet’ (a kind of country cake made of sticky rice and green peas).

Tourists are required not to wear shorts or sleeveless shirts in pagodas or local homes during the tours.

For those who enjoy trying local eats, the “Traditional Meal” tour of Saigon Hotpot should be considered.

Tour goers will have the chance to learn how to cook and enjoy Vietnamese traditional meals hosted in locals’ houses, as well as get to know Vietnamese food and family culture after being taken to a local market.

A “Traditional Meal” tour is offered for a group of more than 10, and can be rearranged according to tourists’ plans.

During the Tet holiday, the tour can offer more Vietnamese Tet holiday’s traditional foods at tour goers’ request.

A young Korean is seen cutting a sticky rice cake with strings made from plants at the 2016 Tet Viet (Vietnamese Tet) Festival at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre

To many Vietnamese people, Tet is a time to enjoy delicious foods, so why should expats not enjoy the traditional food for themselves?

The Time Bistro Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 is planning to offer a free buffet to about 20 expats and foreigners who want to experience special Vietnamese food for Tet.

According to the event’s organizers, the menu will include dishes like spicy mayo prawns, pomelo salad, fresh clam soup with dill, ginger poached chicken with rice and sweet melon soup. Special Tet dishes will include ‘banh tet,’ ‘dua muoi’ (pickled vegetables), ‘cu kieu’ (pickled leek) and ‘tom kho’ (dried shrimp).

The event is scheduled to take place at the restaurant at 44 Nguyen Hue Street at 11:00 am on February 5.

Advanced registration to get the restaurant’s confirmation on attendance is required.