During the Tet (lunar new year) celebrations in Vietnam, the people of Ho Chi Minh City (still also called Saigon by many of the locals) clear out and return to their villages to visit family for the extended holiday. Being in Saigon for Tet is a unique experience that has both upsides and downsides.
The Good:
- There are incredibly beautiful flower displays in the center of town along Nguyen Hue Street in front of the People’s Committee Building. The whole street is shut down to traffic and the area is crowded with families out for a stroll, taking photographs of the kids and relaxing. The atmosphere is very pleasant, with everyone smiling and enjoying themselves.
Worshippers ring the bell and circle under the horse for good luck
- The rest of town is very quiet. In fact, you can actually cross the street with relative ease and without breathing in excessive motorbike fumes. This makes the city much more walkable, and a nice change from our experience in Hanoi where we feared for our lives at every intersection. However, if you’re looking for that quintessential Vietnam experience of stepping off the curb and into chaos, you’ll definitely be disappointed.
- The pagodas in the Colon (Saigon’s Chinatown, located in District 5) spring to life as hundreds of locals come to make offerings and burn incense as they pray for an auspicious new year. Not only do you get to take in the beautiful architecture and Buddha statuary, you get to see the local religion in practice.
The Bad:
- Many, if not most of the local restaurants outside of the tourist areas are closed, thus limiting your dining options. However, there are still many delicious meals to be had, even if that out-of-the-way place you heard was a must-visit is closed.
- If you are looking to shop, you’re probably also out of luck as many stores shut down for at least the three days of Tet, if not the entire week or longer. If you’re traveling with a backpack like us this could be a plus – there’s a lot less temptation to buy things that you can’t really carry with you anyway.
- Major tourist sites, including the Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum, were very crowded. Not surprising with the entire country on vacation, there were many Vietnamese tourists in addition to the foreign tourists enjoying their days off by taking in the sites.
She kissed the camera when we showed her this picture
For us, the upsides of celebrating Tet in Saigon far outweighed the downsides. We loved the feeling of having the city to ourselves and being able to walk most places without the constant stress of trying to avoid being hit by a motorbike. And being able to share in the celebrations with the relaxed and friendly locals more than made up for the crowded sites and limited restaurant choices.
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Very pretty flowers! In the land of ice and snow (aka Chicago, though I hear the rest of the Midwest and Northeast is getting it pretty bad as well), your photos are a nice escape.
Your Vietnamese food post prompted Andy and I to make reservations at THE fancy Vietnamese restaurant in Chicago. Unfortunately, we were much happier with our favorite hole in the wall spot that costs about a quarter of what we paid there. I agree with your assertion that great food can be found in some pretty unlikely spots. Now that we’ve got a taste for it, we’ll be heading up North to Argyle street for some Pho Tai, Bo Nuong Cuon Banh Trang and to our favorite Banh Mi place as well.
If you miss the cuisine when you return, I’ve got quite a few reco’s in Chicago for you.