Foreign tourists experience 'fatty meat, pickled onions, and red couplets'

(Baonghean.vn) - Listening to folk songs, practicing calligraphy, watching lion dances, making banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes)... are some of the interesting experiences for foreign tourists in Nghe An as the New Year approaches.

On the evening of the 28th day of the Lunar New Year, upon arriving in Vinh City, the Thai delegation from Uponratthani province was pleasantly surprised by a spectacular lion dance performance and received flowers and New Year's greetings from the leaders of the provincial tourism promotion center. This was also one of the first international delegations to celebrate the traditional Lunar New Year in Nghe An.

Witnessing the warm and welcoming atmosphere, typical of Vietnamese culture, Mr. Somsak enthusiastically said: "I am very happy to be in Vietnam during the traditional Lunar New Year. Vietnamese Tet is very different from Tet in Thailand, especially in the chilly weather like these past few days. Vietnamese people celebrate Tet very boisterously and joyfully..."

The head of the provincial tourism promotion center presented flowers to the delegation from Thailand.

The lion dance performance welcomed the visitors.

Located more than half a world away from Vietnam, a group of tourists from the Netherlands had a wonderful experience attending a Vietnamese Tet (Lunar New Year) celebration organized by the Nghe An Department of Tourism at the Kim Lien Hotel. What impressed them was that, despite the small space, they were able to fully experience the most distinctive customs of the Vietnamese Tet. One of the most enjoyable moments was watching the hotel's chefs wrap banh chung (traditional rice cakes) and tasting the traditional Vietnamese cake.

Emma, ​​a very young member of the group, happily shared after getting to wrap a traditional Vietnamese rice cake herself: "It was much harder than I imagined. However, I really enjoyed it, and this is the most memorable experience of my trip."

Join the Vietnamese tradition of making banh chung (traditional rice cakes).

Foreign tourists excitedly captured the moment they got to experience making traditional banh chung (Vietnamese rice cakes).

Alongside making banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes), as part of the Vietnamese Tet experience program, foreign visitors also had the opportunity to watch calligraphy demonstrations and receive calligraphic blessings for the new year. Here, visitors also learned about the Vietnamese custom of requesting and giving calligraphic blessings. This is not only a beautiful cultural tradition but also a testament to the Vietnamese people's tradition of valuing learning and literacy.

As one of the lucky recipients of the "Happiness" inscription, Janatham happily shared: "New Year's in your country has many wonderful traditions. I also wish everyone a New Year filled with joy and happiness."

Practice writing traditional calligraphy.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh An, Deputy Director of the Department of Tourism, presented calligraphy to tourists from the Netherlands.

This year's Vietnamese Tet (Lunar New Year) program, organized by the Nghe An Department of Tourism, aims primarily to promote Vietnamese culture and help tourists capture beautiful moments of the Vietnamese Tet holiday. In response to this program, most major hotels in Vinh City and Cua Lo Town have developed many attractive and interesting Tet programs. In addition to main activities such as giving lucky money and experiencing the making of banh chung and banh tet (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes), many hotels have also incorporated folk songs and traditional music into their Tet celebrations and created menus with a Tet flavor.

Mr. Vo An Huy, Deputy Director of Kim Lien Hotel, said: "Even though it's a holiday, we have quite a large number of guests registering to stay at our hotel, mostly foreigners. After experiencing the Vietnamese Tet programs, we found that all the guests were very enthusiastic and enjoyed it."

The performance of folk songs and traditional melodies welcomed the international delegations.

The Vietnamese Tet (Lunar New Year) program is also one of the outstanding activities of Nghe An's tourism industry in Spring 2017. Regarding its effectiveness, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh An, Deputy Director of the Department of Tourism, said: "Although it is only a small part of the program, we expect it to leave many positive impressions on tourists visiting Nghe An in the early days of the new year. From there, it will also contribute to promoting the image of Nghe An and the image of Vietnam to friends around the world."

My Ha