International friends celebrate Vietnamese Tet in Da Nang

Shanna, a middle-aged woman from Finland, has visited Vietnam many times, but this time, she chose to stay in Da Nang during Tet, a decision that felt entirely natural to her.

“This coastal city has many layers of space” Shanna said. “There are lively tourist streets, pubs glowing with lights and music. But not far away are older neighborhoods where people live close together, chatting warmly with one another. Da Nang is modern without losing its traditions” she added.

Although the city welcomes a large number of visitors during the Tet holiday, the rhythm of local life is still present on every street and in every market corner. Compared to her past experiences, Shanna believes that Vietnamese Tet has a very unique character.

Shanna shared that she once celebrated Tet in Thailand. In Finland, her homeland, she also has a New Year holiday, but nowhere prepares for it as carefully, in such detail, and for so long as Vietnam does.

“Everyone is busy with Tet from cleaning and decorating homes to fireworks and spring flowers. Thai people don’t prepare for Tet as thoroughly, and the Finns usually just have a party or a family gathering. People in Da Nang are both simple and meticulous at the same time” she said.

In a similar vein, for Markus and Adela, a couple from Canada - a land of ice and snow, the gentle sunshine and springtime atmosphere of central Vietnam were entirely new to them. Staying in Da Nang during Tet was initially a coincidence rather than a plan. Markus recounted that they had once left Da Nang to return home, but unexpectedly come back a few weeks before Tet.

Adela, meanwhile, wanted to see how Tet in Da Nang differed from ordinary days. If daily life already felt novel and intriguing, she thought, then Tet must be even more special. Indeed, the spring days brought many surprises: cleaner streets, lighter traffic, and spring flowers blooming across the city.

During Tet, the people of Da Nang seemed friendlier and more approachable, allowing anyone even strangers to feel the spirit of togetherness flowing through everyday life. On the first days of a Lunar New Year, friends from many countries randomly sat together at a festive table in the city, raising their glasses to welcome spring alongside local residents.

Markus had worried that during Tet, restaurants would close and the city would be quiet, as he had read online. He even considered traveling to Ha Noi or Ho Chi Minh City “for a livelier Tet”. Reality, however, proved quite the opposite. Da Nang welcomed the Lunar New Year in a vibrant and warm atmosphere, with brightly decorated streets, elaborate spring flower displays, and proud horse mascots symbolizing the season’s vitality.

Adela offered an interesting comparison: “In Canada, besides the Christmas tree, we also have a New Year decoration tree where candies are hung for children to pick. But Tet in Vietnam is far richer. Children in Da Nang enjoy sweets and receive lucky money in red envelopes. Elderly people are taken out by their children and grandchildren to enjoy spring outings. These are beautiful customs that truly impress visitors like us”.

“We love Da Nang and we will return to Vietnam, and to the city, for future Tet holidays” Adela and Markus said.

Amid the footsteps of travelers and the unhurried rhythm of local life, Tet in Da Nang reveals itself not as a ceremonial event, but as a shared space where people are drawn closer together. Here, national boundaries blur, language ceases to be a barrier, and togetherness does not necessarily begin with blood ties.

It may be a smile, an awkward Lunar New Year greeting, or simply the feeling of being welcomed like family. Perhaps that is why, for friends from afar, Tet in Da Nang is not merely a journey, but a warm memory carried throughout their lives, a distinctly Vietnamese moment, deeply human, and profoundly unforgettable.