Top 10 Reasons Why Traditional Tet Should Never Be Abandoned

In reality, Christmas marks the beginning of the Western New Year holiday, lasting until January 1st. Therefore, the Western world also enjoys a long holiday similar to Tet in Vietnam.

If we abandon traditional Tet in favor of Western New Year, there are two options:

• Take just 1 or 2 days off. This would lead to a problem of family reunions, as such a short break is not much different from a regular weekend.
• Take a holiday from Christmas until New Year’s Day like in Western countries: This would give us a long break similar to Tet. Although it addresses the issue of differing work holidays between Vietnam and the West, it also brings many problems, one of which is that Vietnamese people do not have a tradition of celebrating Christmas.

Christmas is a Catholic holiday, recognized by many Western countries as a national holiday due to the large Catholic population. However, in Vietnam, the number of Catholics is not large. While Catholics celebrate Christmas at churches and with their families, it is impossible to expect the majority of Vietnamese people, many of whom don’t even know when Christmas is, to embrace it. Since Christmas holds little significance for most Vietnamese, taking a holiday from it is unreasonable, as it does not motivate or inspire the public and often becomes just an excuse for leisure and indulgence, rather than engaging in meaningful activities like house cleaning, ancestor worship, preparing offerings, or visiting family and friends during Tet.

From an economic perspective, Traditional Tet is a major driver of consumer spending, comparable to Christmas in Western countries. People purchase a wide range of items, from food, sweets, and decorations to clothes, shoes, and even electronics. Every household is eager to prepare for the new year. Companies also invest heavily in Tet-related advertising.

Now, imagine what would happen if there were no more Traditional Tet. There would be no end-of-year shopping sprees, where stores clear out old stock and families use their free time to prepare for the holiday. We would no longer see the typical demand for ornamental plants like peach blossoms, kumquat trees, or pomelos. Shops selling traditional clothing and suits would suffer reduced sales, as people would no longer need to dress up to visit family for Tet. Similarly, food stores would experience a downturn.

Encouraging consumer spending during Tet helps reduce idle money in the economy, increases the money supply, boosts GDP, and stimulates economic growth. If Tet were moved to coincide with Western New Year, spending would drastically decrease, GDP would decline, and there would be more idle money—this money would either lose value, end up in banks, or be invested in gold or real estate. Overall, this is less beneficial than the current model of active spending.

The negative issues associated with Traditional Tet, such as excessive drinking, gambling, bribery, and nepotism, will not be resolved by shifting Tet to the Western New Year. These issues stem from deeply ingrained behaviors, habits, and mindsets in Vietnamese culture.

Moving Traditional Tet to Western New Year will not reduce these negatives, as these problematic behaviors will simply follow the change. The issues of bribery, gift-giving, and political maneuvering also follow this pattern—they don’t originate from Tet but are merely more visible during the holiday period. If we move Tet to coincide with Western New Year, these negative practices will also shift. This is a matter of consciousness and political systems, and thinking that changing the holiday can fix these issues is naive.

Recently, some argue that Japan overcame its backwardness and ignorance thanks to the Meiji Restoration, which included the abandonment of the Lunar New Year in favor of celebrating the Western New Year. I believe that comparing Vietnam’s situation to Japan's Meiji Restoration is a grave mistake.

Do not compare Vietnam to Japan during the reign of Emperor Meiji, as the societal context was completely different. Japan at the time had a large class of scholars and samurai, while the country’s economy and society were underdeveloped. Fukuzawa and the Meiji Reform movement sought to model Japan after the growing Western powers. Meanwhile, the issues in Vietnam are different. Vietnam is not in the same state of backwardness (many Vietnamese use iPhones and drive luxury cars); instead, the issues lie in awareness, culture, and politics. Furthermore, Vietnam's cultural identity is increasingly eroded, with Western, Vietnamese, and Chinese influences blending together. Rather than initiating a cultural renaissance similar to the European Renaissance, some have proposed abandoning the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, which would neither solve any of the country’s problems nor help preserve its cultural heritage.

Moreover, changing the Lunar New Year to the Western calendar did not make Japan as powerful as it is today. Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1873 during the Meiji era (the sixth year of Meiji’s reign), but the country didn’t become the economic powerhouse it is today until after its defeat in 1945 and the successful post-war reforms (1945-1950). The Meiji period was not as idyllic as many believe; only the first decade was considered a time of enlightenment. After that, Japan became highly centralized and repressive. Even Saigo Takamori, a key figure in the Meiji Restoration, committed suicide after a failed rebellion against Meiji’s government. Fukuzawa Yukichi's books were banned, and many intellectuals were imprisoned. From 1889 onward, Japan increasingly embraced militarism, which culminated in the bloody wars of 1931-1945. During this time, Japan was ruled by militarists, and its people, as well as many people in other Asian countries, suffered brutal repression.

The period that many Vietnamese admire was, in fact, a time that the Japanese later admitted was full of suffering and hardship. Only after the 1946 constitution, which enshrined the principles of “peace, democracy, and respect for human rights,” did Japan’s true humanistic values begin to take shape. Japan only became an economic power 15 years after post-war reforms.

It is clear that Japan’s development was driven by early reforms during the Meiji period, the later civil rights movements, and post-war democratization—not simply by switching calendars. It is hard to argue that changing the calendar played a decisive role in Japan’s rise. In fact, Japan’s government changed the calendar in 1873 to avoid paying an extra month of salaries to government workers, as the country was in financial distress.

Interestingly, many who cite Japan’s calendar change may not know that the Japanese still celebrated the Lunar New Year after adopting the Gregorian calendar. In rural areas, the Japanese continued to celebrate the Lunar New Year for nearly a century, only abandoning it in the 1960s as the country modernized and rural populations moved to cities. Even today, in some Shinto shrines and remote villages, certain Lunar New Year rituals are still performed. Recently, the “Old New Year” has gained attention due to an influx of Chinese tourists visiting Japan during this period, contributing to the economy.

If Vietnam were to change its New Year’s celebration, a similar phenomenon would likely occur. The Vietnamese would continue to celebrate the Lunar New Year for decades, enjoying festivities from Western New Year through to the Lunar New Year. In Japan, the calendar change was simply a technical adjustment, but in Vietnam, those advocating for such a change treat it as a panacea for prosperity and national advancement.

The desire for Vietnam to become a prosperous nation by changing its mindset, habits, and lifestyle through a simple calendar change is a romantic and painful dream.

In the past, during the Ly, Tran, and Le dynasties, our ancestors held the Lunar New Year celebrations with great formality. The customs of the Lunar New Year, such as the farewell to the Kitchen God, the five-fruit tray, the year-end feast, the New Year's Eve offerings, the housewarming rituals, and giving red envelopes, represent the enduring cultural values and the collective achievements of the Vietnamese people over thousands of years of nation-building and defense.

The cultural values embedded in the Lunar New Year continue to this day as a result of a selective inheritance of various elements. Therefore, these values cannot simply be discarded. If we continue to ignore them, we risk losing the Lunar New Year altogether. Moreover, if society chooses to bypass this traditional holiday, it will result in short-lived progress, as culture is the foundation for sustainable development.

This is why the term “national culture” is often used to describe a country’s values. The idea of equating the Lunar New Year with the Western New Year will bring about many unintended consequences.

Furthermore, the Lunar New Year marks the harmonious alignment of the earth and the heavens, symbolizing the balance between humans and nature. The word “Nguyên” means the beginning, and “Đán” refers to dawn, the start of a new day. The term “Tết” comes from a transformation of the word “tiết,” meaning a seasonal point in time. Therefore, “Tết Nguyên Đán” is also referred to as the “Tết Ta” or “Tết Cả,” distinguishing it from the Western New Year.

The history and significance of the Lunar New Year in Vietnam reflect its deep connection to the lives of the Vietnamese people. With agriculture being highly seasonal, people would work tirelessly in the fields and then celebrate to make up for their hard work. Viewed through the lens of human interaction with nature, the Lunar New Year represents the cosmic cycle of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. It holds a special meaning for a society whose economy still relies primarily on agriculture.

The Lunar New Year is a time for families to reunite, check in on each other, and reconnect after a long year apart. It holds immense significance for the Vietnamese people, with traditions that have been passed down through generations, becoming an integral part of the New Year celebrations. These customs not only embody wishes for a prosperous and peaceful year ahead but also represent the cultural beauty of the holiday. Among the cherished traditions is the practice of ancestor worship. The Lunar New Year is a cultural phenomenon rich in meaningful rituals, offering opportunities for education and reflection. It is a time when descendants honor their ancestors by cleaning and decorating the family altar.

In Vietnam, the practice of ancestor worship, known as “Ancestor Reverence,” holds a prominent place in the spiritual life of the people, often referred to as “The Way of the Ancestors.” As such, rejecting the Lunar New Year is, in effect, a step toward abandoning respect for one’s ancestors. This is an unacceptable violation of core cultural values.

Japan's painful experience — an Eastern nation that once abandoned both the lunar and solar New Year's celebrations in favor of celebrating the Western New Year. Today, many Japanese feel regret for losing the calendar that once reflected their cultural identity, which has led them into an endless cycle of industrialization. Therefore, Vietnam may also need to reconsider the idea that adopting the Western New Year will help 'integrate' with global cultures.

A life without traditional holidays, without the Lunar New Year, would feel dull and empty, as if something vital was missing.

In today's world, with rising political sensitivities and a growing trend of anti-China sentiments, some people argue that we should discard cultural elements influenced by China, including the Lunar New Year, or Tết Nguyên Đán, also known as Tết Ta or Tết Âm. However, the fact is that celebrating the traditional Lunar New Year doesn’t equate to following China.

The Western New Year follows the solar calendar, based on the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, while the Lunar New Year follows the moon's cycle around the Earth. While the solar calendar is widely used in the West, the lunar calendar is prevalent in many Eastern cultures, as well as in ancient civilizations like the Celts, Babylonians, and Maya, and in countries like South Korea, North Korea, Singapore, Thailand, India, Indonesia, and Bhutan. To claim that these nations are following China would be a mistake, just as labeling South Korea or Singapore as backward would be wrong.

The Lunar New Year has been a part of Vietnamese life for thousands of years, and while it has been influenced by the Chinese calendar, it still holds profound significance in Vietnamese culture, which is undeniable.

Because the lunar calendar follows the moon's cycle, it aligns more closely with the seasonal transitions in Vietnam. For example, spring spans January through March, starting with Tết Nguyên Đán when the weather warms up. Summer is from April to June, followed by autumn from July to September, and winter from October to December when the chill sets in. Despite the changing weather patterns due to El Niño, the weather has always been important to the farming communities of Vietnam and their agricultural-based society. The Lunar New Year marks a time when farmers rest after a long year’s work and prepare for a new planting season, symbolizing a fresh start. Therefore, the traditional Tết is deeply embedded in the cultural fabric of Vietnamese life, past and present.

On a spiritual level, the Traditional Lunar New Year is a time for family reunions, especially for families with loved ones who have been away for work or studies. This is an important occasion because the emotional bonds within families have always been a cherished value in Eastern cultures, and specifically for the Vietnamese people.

Fathers working far from home return to visit their wives and children, students studying in distant cities come back to see their parents, and families from bustling cities return to their hometowns to reconnect with grandparents and relatives. If we were to shift from the Lunar New Year to the Western calendar, then Western New Year would need to span as long as the Lunar New Year to give people enough time to rest and reconnect with their families. A one or two-day break would hardly be sufficient for those studying or working in major cities or abroad to return home and spend meaningful time with loved ones.