Loving Tet at first sight

“Crazy” is a common word that foreigners choose when describing the celebration of the Lunar New Year in Vietnam and the exciting and spectacular sights and moments they had during their first Tet in Vietnam.
“The street is crazy and beautiful. We have never seen things like this before,” Dustin Whetten told the Daily on February 13 when he and his wife were walking in a crowd in downtown HCMC before the clock ticked the Lunar New Year.
The American couple explained the word “crazy” they used was to express the spectacular views, energy and spirit within Vietnamese people that they saw and felt on the threshold of the Year of the Tiger.
A couple from the Czech Republic also opted for the word “crazy” when talking about Tet in Vietnam. “It looks crazy because there are so many people in the street, a lot of colors and lights.”
Ondrej Karpiser told the Daily in front of the Cathedral in HCMC that it was interesting to enjoy the festive celebration of Tet as well as the fantastic and beautiful flowers along Nguyen Hue Boulevard.
Karpiser and his partner are spending a long vacation in Vietnam, a country they are visiting for the first time, and expect much from trying many tasty foods as well as fascinating experiences in the countryside.
“Before we came to Vietnam, we heard that this country would offer us delicious foods. I’m interested in foods and think that it is here that I can find the best foods in Asia,” Karpiser said. Karpiser said they would be spending about three weeks traveling around HCMC and then go to Phu Quoc Island and other destinations in the Mekong Delta before visiting some sites in Cambodia.
Whetten is also in Vietnam for the first time to do business at a time when Vietnamese people were eager to ring out the Year of the Ox and to ring in the Year of the Tiger.
“I knew nothing about Tet before I came here. We are fortunate to be able to join the holiday with Vietnamese that is very unique and special,” Whetten said when a colorful street parade passed him. Tet gave the American good memories of Vietnam. “The view of the Tet holiday is amazing and spectacular that I’ve never seen before. I walked the street in the early morning today (February 13) and saw nobody else in the street, and tonight it is like everybody just came out of the woodwork.”
“We just enjoy the holiday and are going out for dinner,” he said when asked what he was doing during the biggest holiday in Vietnam.
Filled with nice surprises and experiences, Whetten wished to have a lot of friends, good business and much success in the New Year. “I like getting along with people and meeting new friends. That’s basically what it’s about.”
Karpiser prayed for health and for Vietnamese people in this country to be as cheerful and optimistic as they looked on Lunar New Year’s Eve.