Passing down through generations and continued with equal enthusiasm today, “Xong dat” (first footing), a Tet tradition in Vietnam, has always been associated with hopes for a fruitful year ahead.
Children at the 2017 spring flower festival in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Passing down through generations and continued with equalenthusiasm today, “Xong dat” (first footing), a Tet tradition in Vietnam, has alwaysbeen associated with hopes for a fruitful year ahead.
Accordingto the tradition, the first guest to enter the house after midnight on theLunar New Year’s Eve is believed to have a bearing on the family’s fortunethroughout the year.
Manyfamilies ask a close friend or relative to carry out this New Year mission.
Toensure good luck for the house, the selected “first foot” is normally requiredto have zodiac signs compatible with the host. He or she should also be successfuland content with life.
Theinvited guest usually visits the house in the morning of the first day of theLunar New Year, bringing with him small gifts for the family, including luckymoney in red envelops for children. He greets each member, wishing the old withlongevity, businessmen with thriving prosperity, and kids with good academicachievements.
Thehost generously welcomes the special guest, offering the family’s best New Yeartreats, wine or tea.
Somefamilies choose a member to become the first to enter the house. In this case,the “first foot” normally goes out and comes home after midnight with a springbranch, which represents year-round blessings.
Dueto the belief, Vietnamese people used to avoid visiting each other in the firstmorning after New Year’s Eve.
Themost noticeable change to the age-old tradition is that more and more people havebegun to think of it as a New Year delight, rather than a sight of futurefortune.-VNA
A Cay Neu (Neu pole) was planted at the Hue Imperial Citadel, the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on January 20, featuring a traditional activity in the run up to the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.
The traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) is the biggest and oldest festival in Vietnam, bringing its people together to celebrate the sacred and meaningful annual event.
A five-fruit tray is indispensable for each Vietnamese family as it is a symbol of the wholeheartedness and filial piety of the present generation towards their ancestors and the Genie of the Land during Tet.
For the first time, Vietnamese audiences will have the opportunity to experience the ballet masterpiece "Don Quixote" in its original version by renowned choreographer Marius Petipa.
The contest carried deep meaning as it was the first time the life of Vietnamese women abroad had been highlighted as the central theme, said poet and writer Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association.
The event formed part of Vietnam’s ongoing campaign to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for the complex at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, scheduled to take place in Paris in July.
Creative cultural festivals are fast emerging as a new catalyst for tourism development in Vietnam, as localities increasingly invest in these vibrant events on a more systematic and larger scale.
This marks the first time Vietnam has hosted a continental-level Muay event which will feature competitions across 28 weight categories in combat and eight performance categories.
Coming to the Vietnamese booth, visitors had the chance to take part in a bamboo dance, a workshop on painting woven bamboo or rattan, or quizzes about Vietnam.
These are impressive achievements, not only showing the efforts and prowess of Vietnamese paddlers but also serving as proof of the sports sector’s strategic and systematic investment.
The cultural event in Canberra not only fostered cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Australia but also contributed to promoting Vietnam’s image internationally
The U23 competition will run from June 16 to 22, followed by the U17 event from June 23 to 28, while athletes competing in the U23 category will undergo weight and skill checks ahead of the matches starting June 18, while similar checks for U17 athletes will take place before June 23.
Vietnam continues to sit just behind continental powerhouses Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, China, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The event served as a vibrant display of solidarity, promoting peace, cooperation, and development through cultural dialogue, and reaffirmed HCM City's role as a dynamic hub for cultural diplomacy and international friendship.
The Indian Film Festival not only honours the artistic value of cinema but also contributes to strengthening the friendship and enhancing cultural exchange between the people of Son La in particular and Vietnam in general and India.
An art exchange programme between Vietnam and Cambodia was held on the evening of June 13 in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long as part of the 2025 Cambodia Culture Week in Vietnam.
Digitalisation does not mean commercialisation or oversimplification of culture. It is a way of selecting, adapting, and spreading traditional values through a modern language.
The 11th edition is expected to serve as a vital channel for conveying Vietnam’s development message to the international community, and represent a milestone in the implementation of the Politburo’s Conclusion No. 57 on continuing to improve the quality and efficiency of external information service in the new situation.
In the standard chess event for grandmasters, Vietnamese player Banh Gia Huy claimed the championship title in Group 1, while Vu Nguyen Bao Linh took the top position in the women's category of the blitz chess event at the second Quang Ninh GM/IM/FM Chess Tournament 2025.
Children at the 2017 spring flower festival in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: VNA) 
