In mid-January I spent a few days in Hanoi. I attended an English Language teaching conference sponsored by the British Council. The conference was great fun and a fantastic way to get my brain back into teaching, as well as meet other people interested in teaching. I got to meander through the streets of the old quarter around Hoan Kiem Lake and see some of the preparations for Tet.
This temple is next to Hoan Kiem Lake. Usually the gates are closed, but one afternoon I walked by and the temple had just received a new coat of paint and it was open! These two photos are of the temple.
As part of the preparations for Tet, people clean their houses-like spring cleaning for us in the U.S. Buildings get a new coat of paint, old junk is discarded or sold, and tons of flowers are bought to make the house beautiful for all of the visitors. I understand this to represent the cleansing of the old year to welcome good luck for the new year. On the flight up to Hanoi, I read about a junk market that begins a week before Tet. On the morning of January 18th I headed through the streets of the old quarter and found the impromptu market and all of the shops along the street selling decorations for Tet. This is a family's "junk" laid out on the street to sell- cleaning for Tet and a way to make some money. Like Christmas for us, Tet can be very expensive and quite a strain on some families.
This shop is stocked with Tet decorations. Red and gold are the colors that represent good luck.
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