A man in Ho Chi Minh City is celebrating Vietnam’s time-honored tradition of enjoying particular sweets and snacks during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday with a lifelike clay replica of the delightful treats.

‘Mứt Tết’ is a traditional snack box enjoyed throughout the country during the Tet holiday season, which lasts a week from Tuesday this year.

Nguyen Tan Dat, a resident of Ho Chi Minh City’s District 3, has been lauded for celebrating ‘mứt Tết’ by crafting a clay model of the beloved snack box.

It took Dat about two weeks to make his clay ‘mứt Tết’ replica. The most difficult part of the process, Dat said, is painting each item.

After Dat shapes each part of his clay ‘mứt Tết,’ he allows them to dry naturally for six hours before coloring and adding patterns.  

The 37-year-old’s box of ‘mứt Tết’ includes sugar-coated lotus seeds and sliced roots, raisins, sugar- preserved shredded coconut, salted dry apricot, Jujube fruit, and other candied fruits.

Such a box, typically placed in the living room, is a staple in Vietnamese households across the country during the holiday season and usually sits alongside 'hoa mai' (yellow apricot blossoms), 'hoa dao' (peach blossoms), and other traditional Tet foods.

Dat said people had been through ups and downs due to COVID-19, so he wanted to bring everyone some joyful moments looking at his works.

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