A part of Vietnamese people today no longer want to celebrate Tet in the traditional way, choosing to travel to relieve stress and enjoy the holiday to the fullest.
This year, Mr. Tran Duy, living in Ho Chi Minh City, decided to take his wife and three children on a tour across Vietnam - Laos - Cambodia, scheduled to depart on January 25 (26th of Tet) and end on February 13.
This route helps him avoid the crowds of people returning home for Tet and explore many interesting cultural features in Laos and Cambodia. On their return from Laos, they can visit the northern mountainous provinces before returning to Ho Chi Minh City.
"I've been thinking about it for years, but my wife refused because she wanted to celebrate New Year's Eve at home," he said. He added that their eldest child will be in first grade this year, so they decided to "go big" with a long trip, and Tet is the most suitable occasion.
According to many travel agencies, the trend of Vietnamese people traveling during Tet is increasing. With the 9-day Tet holiday this year, some companies are selling tours departing from the 26th of the lunar calendar, the number of bookings has increased by 25% compared to last year. Previously, the group traveling during Tet was mainly from the south, consisting of young people, but now there is also a group of customers from the north, middle-aged to elderly people with stable incomes.
For the past 8 years, Ms. Pham Bich Hanh, who lives in Hanoi, has hardly celebrated Tet at home and has never had any objections from her family. She said that her whole family lives in Hanoi so there is no need to return home for Tet, making the decision to travel easy.
"I see that in big cities, people are no longer so particular about staying home to celebrate Tet," she said.
Starting to travel during Tet since 2019, Nguyen Khac Thuong, who lives in Ho Chi Minh City, said that he is single and has no family to return to for Tet, so it was not difficult to make the decision. He said that Tet is a suitable time to travel when he receives a bonus and has a long vacation.
Thuong often chooses countries that do not celebrate Lunar New Year to avoid crowds and rising prices of services and goods. After her "solo and sad" trip to Myanmar in 2019, Thuong often looks for travel companions on groups to travel together.
His most memorable memory was Tet 2020 when he and 7 other people from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City traveled to India. Being the group leader for the first time, Thuong had a bit of a hard time. However, the trip went smoothly, the group got to admire many beautiful sights and had countless memories together such as taking a boat trip on the Ganges River, playing cards on the train or welcoming the New Year in the city of Agra.
"Tet is simply a time for everyone to have a meal together and raise a glass to celebrate the new year," Thuong said.
Traveling during Tet for the first time, Duy said that his parents would probably be sad because they had to celebrate Tet alone. He promised himself that next year he would stay home with his grandparents. According to him, traveling during Tet has many advantages such as easy room booking, cheap cars, deserted roads and, importantly, avoiding endless drinking sessions and noisy karaoke. Compared to other seasons of the year, he thinks this is the best time to go out and not be bothered by customers and partners. After a year of hard work, he is looking forward to the upcoming "self-rewarding gift".
Mr. Nguyen Tien Dat, Vice President of the Capital Tourism Club, commented that the trend of traveling during Tet is concentrated among the unmarried group. Many people do not want to be caught up in "unpleasant" questions during Tet meetings such as when they will get married, how much their monthly salary is. In addition, small families are also happy when the whole family travels together, increasing their bond on the first day of the new year.
Previously, in the article "Vietnamese customers increasingly like "Hiding from Tet to travel", some comments said that traveling to avoid Tet loses the value of Vietnamese culture. Reader Nguyen Danh Sang said there should be a mechanism to increase the days off for other holidays in the year, avoiding traveling during Tet. Or Tran Van Minh stated that Tet is a rare occasion to meet relatives, connect with relatives. On the other hand, the story of cleaning the house during Tet is tiring or cooking a big meal is also up to the person to decide, not a reason to avoid Tet.
Van Hung, who lives in Hanoi, said he loves to travel and once took a trip across Vietnam alone in the middle of the year. However, he never chooses to travel during Tet because he wants to gather with his family and relatives after a year of work, spending more time at the office than at home.
"Maybe in the big city, Tet is no longer fun, but Tet in the countryside is still different," he said, saying he likes the bustling, warm atmosphere of the village when Tet comes and spring comes.
According to Mr. Dat, modern life has changed a lot, individuality is highly valued, so the decision to stay home to celebrate Tet or travel during Tet needs to be respected. The important thing is that everyone can enjoy Tet holiday happily.
Meanwhile, tourist Tran Duy said that anyone planning to travel during Tet should consider carefully, especially those who are away from home all year round, and should take time to enjoy family reunions. In addition, a limited financial situation can also make Tet travel a financial pressure, making the experience less than fulfilling.
Khac Thuong said he still chose to stay home until after New Year's Eve when his mother was still alive. He thinks that before deciding to skip Tet to travel, people need to fulfill their responsibilities to their family and plan carefully several months in advance. If they are afraid of being lonely, they can also easily find companions on social networking groups.
“Finally, after every trip, it is important to remember to buy small gifts for your loved ones back home,” he said.
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