Going to the Tet market, people get to buy peach blossoms to decorate their houses for Tet days.

In Vietnam, Lunar New Year (also known as Vietnamese New Year, Tet Holiday, or Tet) is celebrated for three days, from January 1st to 3rd of the lunar calendar.However, before and after it, there are many meaningful and interesting activities. One of those activities is going to Tet Market. When does Tet market in Vietnam happen? How is Tet market different from the normal market? Those are the problems that we need to know.

Every year, the Tet Market happens on December 28th, 29th, and 30th of the lunar calendar (if enough months are available) or on December 27th, 28th, and 29th (if there is a missing month). In Vietnam, at present, in addition to traditional flea markets, there are modern supermarkets. All markets are busy because buyers need to prepare everything for an important holiday, and because all markets do not work on January 1st and 2nd of the lunar calendar.

At this time, all items are more expensive than usual. Typical items of the Tet Market are parallel sentences, peach blossom (in North Vietnam), apricot blossom (in South Vietnam), marigold, Kumquat, square glutinous rice cake (in North Vietnam), cylindric glutinous rice cake (in South Vietnam), pork, pickled onion, pickled small leek, watermelon, roasted watermelon seed, and dried candied fruit. The goods on this occasion are more expensive than on normal days.

Going to the Tet market is also an interesting thing. People get to buy flowers to decorate their houses for Tet days, get to buy delicious food to offer to the ancestors, and serve the relatives and friends. They get to see the sight that everybody is buying and selling in a hurry, get to watch women and girls in nice clothes, and get to watch children following their mother to shop. We all feel spring is coming back.

In Hanoi, the Hang Luoc flower market, which has been around for a hundred years, the delightful Hang Ma Street, and the famous Quang Ba flower market are the typical places people should pay a visit at pre-Tet time. If your Vietnam vacation takes place during the Tet holiday, you will experience the vibrant atmosphere of people shopping for their traditional new year in those sites.

Established more than a century ago, this well-known market runs once a year and lasts about two weeks before the holiday. A wide range of plants associated with the Tet holidays, such as peach blossom, kumquat trees, ornamental plants, and kinds of flowers, are offered in large quantities.

Next to the colorful Hang Luoc street, Hang Ma street impresses visitors with the richness of red – the prime color of all items decorated for the Tet holiday, and it presents wealth, happiness, and luck for the new year. Not only at Tet, but Hang Ma is also full of florid items for other festivals in the year, such as the Mid-autumn festival.

Kumquat trees

Shop owners often start offering those lovely things for Tet decoration one month before the holiday. Shops with delightful items line the street, which has seen a flurry of trading activity as the Lunar New Year approaches.Local people go to buy lovely things to decorate their houses or offices. Many people visit the sparkling street to take photos or just to admire the festive atmosphere that takes place once a year. Further, retailers from neighboring areas also come there to buy items on a large scale. The street packed with hurried people makes an incredible scene.

Quang Ba is the most famous flower market in Hanoi. It is getting more and more bustling as people are in a hurry to prepare for the Tet holiday. On usual days, the market just runs at dawn, but at pre-Tet time, you can stop by any time of day to enjoy the exotic atmosphere of people shopping for the New Year. Peach blossom is the major flower offered in this period. People visit the market to see the atmosphere in the days before Tet and purchase flowers to take home. Some even have to wake up very early to pick up the freshest and most beautiful flowers brought from surrounding areas.

In the meantime, Ho Chi Minh City has many spring flower festivals, among which there are 3 famous ones: the Tao Dan Spring Flower Festival, Nguyen Hue Flower Street, and the Phu My Hung Spring Flower Festival. Let’s learn about the top 3 Tet markets in Ho Chi Minh City.

Tao Dan Cultural Park is located in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. During the French colonial period, the official name was Jardin de la Ville, but Vietnamese people used to call it the Garden of Mr. Thuong (Le Van Duyet). It was known as "Tao Dan Garden" during the Republic of Vietnam period. This is a large and ancient garden, with many big old trees, a temple of the Hung kings, a Champa tower and some ancient tombs.

Nguyen Hue Flower Street, Ho Chi Minh City. 

The elderly, teenagers, and children often come here to have fun and exercise. In particular, every year there is a spring flower festival. The Spring Flower Festival usually takes place from December 25th to January 6th. Each year, there are millions of visitors.

Nguyen Hue Flower Street is the name of Nguyen Hue Street in Ho Chi Minh City when being decorated on every occasion of the Lunar New Year for visitors to enjoy, starting from Tet Giap Than 2004. The annual Nguyen Hue Flower Street is usually held from December 28 to January 5 of the lunar calendar. Each year, Nguyen Hue Flower is designed according to a new theme containing positive meaning.