Foreign visitors join traditional ritual for Vietnamese Tet
The traditional five-fruit tray arrangement as part of Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebrations offers tourists a hands-on introduction to Northern Tet customs and ancestral rituals.
THE HANOI TIMES — An initiative by a Hanoi-based hotel brings festive cheer while introducing international visitors to Vietnamese traditions during the Lunar New Year holiday.
A traditional five-fruit tray, a staple of Vietnamese Tet celebrations, features five different types of fruit. Photo: Cly Nguyen
Sheraton Hanoi Hotel hosted a five-fruit tray arrangement workshop for international travelers to share Vietnamese culture with foreign tourists.
More than a hands-on activity, the event offered an opportunity to experience the customs and spirit of Northern Vietnamese Tet.
The workshop welcomed guests with stories about the origins of Vietnamese Lunar New Year traditions and the meaning of the five-fruit tray, a symbol of the Five Elements philosophy and wishes for prosperity, peace and fulfillment, especially in Northern Vietnamese customs.
Each guest arranged their tray in the harmonious and elegant style of Northern Vietnamese Tet.
Participants also chose flowers representing their own wishes - some for peace, others for health, and many for new beginnings.
These thoughtful choices transformed each tray into a deeply personal story reflecting individual hopes for the year ahead.
The workshop setup featured traditional Hanoi elements including candied fruits, preserved specialties, fresh seasonal fruits, and signature flowers of the Tet season.
The most memorable and meaningful moment of the workshop came at its conclusion: guests carried their completed trays and walked together from the hotel to nearby Kim Lien Pagoda to perform a traditional New Year offering ritual.
Sharing his experience, Wu Xu Yi, a visitor from China, commented: “Although we share similar traditions in China, we usually offer items other than fruit. This was the first time my wife and I learned about this cultural difference."
Yi said even though both countries believe in feng shui, it was fascinating to discover the story behind how Vietnamese families prepare fruit offerings for their ancestors during the Lunar New Year.
Dani Kim, a Korean visitor, said that this ritual was a completely new experience for her. Even within Asia, every culture carries its own unique identity. “I learned so many meaningful things about Vietnamese culture from this workshop,” she said.
Korean tourist Dani Kim arranges fruits for a traditional Tet offering tray.
Wendorf, a visitor from the United States, said the workshop was a memorable experience, with careful attention to detail, from the selection of fruits and flowers to the visit to the pagoda.
Within the serene and sacred atmosphere of the pagoda, offering the five-fruit tray became a heartfelt wish for peace, abundance and a harmonious new beginning for the Vietnamese people.
Though lasting only one hour, the workshop layered multiple meaningful experiences that reflected the spirit of Hanoi- slow, contemplative and rich in cultural identity.
The event welcomed short-stay hotel guests, local residents and international travelers, many of whom were encountering Vietnamese Tet traditions for the first time in an intimate and authentic way.
US visitor Wendorf shares a joyful moment during the workshop.
International visitors carry a traditional fruit tray to Kim Lien Pagoda.
The offerings are neatly arranged for presentation to Princess Tu Hoa, revered as the founder of Kim Lien Pagoda, as part of a ritual expressing hopes for prosperity and peace.
