The Lunar New Year, or Tet in Vietnamese, is about three weeks away and the Vietnamese media have their own ways of celebrating it: publishing special editions as for newspapers and broadcasting Tet programs in the case of TV.

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Tet falls on February 19 this year, with festive preparations beginning around one week before the date and the celebratory atmosphere lingering another week after that.

The Lunar New Year is very special in Vietnamese culture as it is an occasion when people get together with their family after a lunar year studying or working away from one another.

During those days, apart from going out, visiting their relatives or joining get-togethers with friends, many skim through the Tet editions of local newspapers or relish in joyful TV programs over sumptuous meals during family unions.

Tet newspapers

Unlike their counterparts in many other countries, almost all Vietnamese newspapers release their Xuan (Spring) editions around two weeks ahead of the holiday.

Tet is often associated with spring in Vietnam so it is also known as the Spring Festival, which is why newspapers here name their special editions that way.

Printed on nice large-size paper, the issues typically feature gorgeous photos and profound articles accentuating the Lunar New Year’s zodiac sign, traditional arts and crafts, artists, humanitarian values, and festive and worship activities.

The zodiac sign of the current lunar year is the horse while that of the upcoming lunar year is the goat.

Visitors are seen reading Xuan (Spring) editions from several newspapers nationwide which joined a festival in 2013. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The Tet publications also boast interviews with expats who live and work in Vietnam regarding how they celebrate their Tet, as well as summaries of during-the-year activities and performances.

Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper’s Tet edition was published on Saturday, with a wide array of intriguing articles.

According to archival information, the country’s first-ever spring edition came out in 1918.

The special publication had 126 pages and colored covers.

Launching spring editions is also a bid for local newspapers to draw advertisements and gain more revenue, as in this Internet boom, printed newspapers are losing ground and thus advertising earnings to online newswires.

According to the statistics released in 2013 by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), printed newspapers in Vietnam saw a fall of nine percent in advertising earnings, the greatest drop compared to other Southeast Asian countries in the 2008-2013 period.

The spring editions are relatively well received, particularly in large cities, as their flamboyant design adds richness to the holiday’s celebratory atmosphere.

“Tet editions, which are designed in large formats and laden with advertisements, fetch around US$1-1.5 each, a reasonable price for most urban readers,” Tran Thanh Quyen, a local businessman in Ho Chi Minh City told a newspaper.

Nguyen Thi Hoa, another Ho Chi Minh City resident, said she buys spring editions of different newspapers as an embellishment for her home during the holiday every year.

Most Vietnamese newspapers also feature special articles in their first edition of the new lunar year as a token of luck and thankfulness to their readers.

Similarly, local newspapers’ online versions also conduct diverse activities to celebrate the country’s biggest holiday by carrying a series of features and organizing quizzes and interactive games for readers to join.

The Xuan (Spring) edition of Tuoi Tre Cuoi, the ironic, hilarious edition of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper in 2014.

Tet television, radio programs

Central and local television and radio stations also air special programs to usher in the Lunar New Year.

One of national broadcaster Vietnam Television (VTV)’s annual Tet specialties is a comedy show titled “Gap Nhau Cuoi Nam – Tao Quan” (Year-End Get-Together – Kitchen Gods).

The much-awaited show, broadcast annually on Lunar New Year’s Eve over the past 12 years on VTV3, skillfully fuses sarcastic, comic and topical elements by incorporating the year’s noteworthy issues.

In the show Hanoi’s veteran comedians, dressed as Jade Emperor and his consultants, critically listen to accounts reported by kitchen gods of state agencies’ weaknesses and individuals’ wrongdoings throughout the year.

A scene from Ho Chi Minh City Television's annual Tet comedy show "Tao Quan" (Kitchen Gods). Photo: Tuoi Tre

VTV and Ho Chi Minh City Television (HTV) also produce and air comedies which revolve around kitchen gods on the 23rd of the current lunar year, which falls on February 11 this year.

The day is traditionally believed to be an occasion when kitchen gods leave the earth and ride carps to the Jade Emperor’s palace, where they report the earthly happenings throughout the year to the heavenly majesty.

Music programs, comedies, films and reality shows, which feature light-hearted, Tet-themed content, typically inundate TV programs during the holiday.

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