12 Months in Hanoi: Tet Plans

Tet planning is all the rage in Vietnam right now ... so I had to join in on the fun!

Per Wikipedia, Tet is ...

Vietnamese New Year, more commonly known by its shortened name Tết or "Tết Nguyên Đán", is the most important and popular holiday and festival in Vietnam. It is the Vietnamese New Year marking the arrival of spring based on the Chinese calendar, a lunisolar calendar. The name Vietnam New Year is Sino-Vietnamese for Feast of the First Morning, derived from the Hán nôm characters 節元旦.

Tết is celebrated on the same day as Chinese New Year, though exceptions arise due to the one-hour time difference between Hanoi and Beijing resulting in the alternate calculation of the new moon. It takes place from the first day of the first month of the Lunar calendar (around late January or early February) until at least the third day. Many Vietnamese prepare for Tết by cooking special holiday foods and cleaning the house. There are a lot of customs practiced during Tết, such as visiting a person's house on the first day of the new year (xông nhà), ancestral worshipping, wishing New Year's greetings, giving lucky money to children and elderly people, and opening a shop.

Tết is also an occasion for pilgrims and family reunions. During Tết, Vietnamese visit their relatives and temples, forgetting about the troubles of the past year and hoping for a better upcoming year. They consider Tết to be the first day of spring and the festival is often called Hội xuân (spring festival).

For non-Vietnamese individuals living in Vietnam, Tet is a 5 day period where the office is closed. Yay!

According to all of my new Vietnamese friends, Hanoi literally shuts down over Tet ... people go out of town to visit their ancestral homes, stores are closed, taxis don't run as often (if at all) ... this bustling, ridiculously busy city becomes a ghost town. EVERYONE says you should get the hell out of dodge ...

... which is EXACTLY what I'm going to do!

I am heading to Da Nang, Vietnam - coastal city ... beaches ... historical landmarks in town - sounds perfect. For about $500 USD, I've booked my flight and 3 nights in a 4-star hotel. I could get used to travel prices like this ;)

I fly to Da Nang on Saturday, February 9th and return Tuesday, February 12th - I'll work the rest of the week from home and enjoy a nice little stay-cation. Become one with my new home away from home. Find the best restaurants. Finish picking up the little things I need for my apartment. Catch up on movies. Catch up on work (it's a little crazy these days). Basically, enjoy the best combination of fun and adventure + relaxation at home. Yes please!!!

Check it out!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da_Nang ... in case you're interested in Da Nang's history

http://www.centarahotelsresorts.com/cdv/cdv_default.asp#.UPd1byc4u4g ... my hotel in Da Nang - not too shabby for $80/night!!

And of course ... here are some non-Tet planning related pics :)