Tet customs re-enacted in the heart of Hanoi
Tet customs reappear in Hanoi’s Old Quarter as the city prepares to welcome the Lunar New Year which will fall on mid-February.
THE HANOI TIMES — Tet Viet - Tet Pho (Vietnamese Tet in the City) returned centuries-old customs to Hanoi’s streets, led by the Vietnamese Village Communal House Club in partnership with local authorities. At its center was a traditional costume parade, with more than 100 volunteers in vibrant attire winding through the Old Quarter, turning the streets into a moving archive of culture.
Now in its sixth year, the program opened on February 8 at Kim Ngan Communal House on Hang Bac Street and will run throughout the Tet holiday.
For Nguyen Duc Binh, an artist and head of the organizing club, Tet is when cultural identity is most clearly expressed. “This is the moment when the nation’s traditional essence emerges. Tet Viet - Tet Pho is our way of recreating that spirit and sharing it with the wider public,” he said.
More than a festive gathering, the event serves as a quiet act of preservation, inviting residents and visitors to reconnect with rituals that once shaped communal life and to renew attention to Hanoi’s cultural heritage.
The Neu Pole raising ceremony at the ancient Kim Ngan Communal House, part of a broader series of Tet rituals in Hanoi. Photos: Tran Khanh/ The Hanoi Times
A procession carrying narcissus flowers enters Kim Ngan Temple, signaling the arrival of spring.
The Neu Pole ceremony includes incense offerings, a report to the tutelary god.
The Neu Pole is a tall bamboo trunk with leaves, adorned with a red calligraphy banner.
Calligraphy bears wishes for peace, happiness and prosperity in the traditional Lunar New Year.
The final step: the Neu pole is hoisted in the courtyard of Kim Ngan Communal House.
Vu Dang Dinh, Chairman of the People’s Council of Hoan Kiem Ward, extends New Year greetings to residents of Hoan Kiem and the wider Hanoi community.
The Con Di Danh Bong (Girl Play Drums) dance fills the cultural event with a sense of joy.
An ancient ritual unfolds against the everyday rhythm of Hanoi’s streets.
Locals and international friends gather, drawn by tradition and shared heritage.
