The program entitled “Tet Holiday in Vietnamese Village 2024” will be organized on January 20-21 at Duong Lam Ancient Village, Son Tay Town, Ha Noi.
Foreign diplomats in Vietnam visited Duong Lam Ancient Village in 2023. Photo: VNA
The annual event, usually held in the month before Vietnam's traditional Lunar New Year, aims to promote culture, encourage tourism, and educate children about traditional customs.
"Tet Holiday in Vietnamese Village 2024" will feature a traditional art performance, an old Tet market recreated at Mong Phu Communal House with dozens of stalls selling Tet goods, a calligraphy writing booth, folk games, a cooking demonstration of banh chung (square sticky rice cakes), a to he (toy figurines made of rice dough) workshop, a daffodil pruning booth (a once popular flower for the Tet holiday), and more.
Participants in the program will also be introduced to customs and traditions practiced during the Vietnamese Tet, such as visiting a person's home on the first day of the New Year, worshipping ancestors, exchanging New Year greetings, and giving lucky money to children and the elderly.
Visitors to Duong Lam Ancient Village can learn about to he, a type of traditional toy for children in Vietnam. Photo: Huy Pham/The Hanoi Times
The two-day program will also include visits to the lacquer workshop of artist Nguyen Tan Phat, the Doai Creative space of architect Khuat Van Thang, and a photo exhibition on the traditional Vietnamese Tet holiday theme.
This is the third time that the "Tet Holiday in Vietnamese Village" program has been organized to introduce the traditional cultural values of Vietnam and the beauty of Duong Lam - a popular tourist attraction - to foreign diplomats in Vietnam.
Located about 40km west of Hanoi, Duong Lam Ancient Village has a history of about 1,200 years. It boasts a large number of century-old laterite houses. Among them is the over 400-year-old house of Ha Huu The's family, which still preserves the ancient architecture typical of Vietnamese villages.
Apart from its historical and touristic value, Duong Lam Ancient Village is an important place for scientists to study ancient farming communities. The village gate, banyan tree, wells, and communal house are important factors in classifying this chic and unique ancient village on the outskirts of Hanoi.
To visit Duong Lam Ancient Village, travelers can go down Thang Long Avenue or along the Cau Giay - Ho Tung Mau - National Highway 32 route.
The entrance fee to the ancient village is VND20,000 ($0.8) per adult.
Bicycle rental: VND50,000 ($2) per bike for the whole day.
Jenna Duong