“Waiting for someone - Ha Long” Café is brightly decorated in Lunar New Year colors from the entrance.
With the desire to usher in Tet early with warm and lively Tet atmosphere, numerous cafes, restaurants and hotels have refreshed their spaces with spring-inspired decorations that blend traditional and modern styles. While each venue adopts its own design approach, a common feature is the strong presence of decorative elements closely associated with Vietnamese Tet culture. Familiar images such as red calligraphy couplets, apricot and peach blossoms, chrysanthemums, “chung” cake, firecracker strings, red envelopes… are prominently used as key highlights. Some venues also recreate the atmosphere of past Tet celebrations through nostalgic items such as black-and-white televisions, cassette players, Rang Dong thermos flasks, peacock-patterned blankets, bamboo baskets, woven trays, paper firecrackers…
Festive Lunar New Year atmosphere at “Waiting for someone - Ha Long” Café
Sharing her experience, Dinh Thi Minh Hue, owner of “Waiting for someone - Ha Long” Café in Ha Long Ward, said the Café has arranged multiple decorative corners, each inspired by a different concept. Rather than being confined to a purely traditional Tet style, the design aims for a youthful and colourful look. Refreshing the space at the beginning of the year not only creates the Café a new look, but also brings customers a sense of joy and excitement, helping to spread the Tet spirit in the early days of spring.
In Vietnamese culture, cleaning and decorating homes for Tet symbolise the removal of misfortune from the old year and the welcoming of a positive new beginning. A carefully prepared home not only reflects attentiveness and care but also conveys hopes for a prosperous and fulfilling year ahead.
A vibrant Lunar New Year–themed space at Yen Forest Café (Quang Yen Ward) attracts many young visitors for sightseeing and check-ins. Photo: Yen Forest – Quang Yen Fanpage.
Sharing about her family’s Tet preparations, Nguyen Thi Van Anh living in Ha Tu Ward said that every year her family spends time renewing their living space. In addition to peach and apricot blossoms, she chooses a variety of decorative accessories in line with current trends, which can be easily purchased at shops or via e-commerce platforms. She noted that decorating not only brings the Tet atmosphere closer but also creates joy, strengthens family bonds and helps preserve cherished moments with loved ones ahead of the Lunar New Year.
Beyond homes and service venues, a number of large hotels, including Muong Thanh Grand Ha Long, Novotel Ha Long, The Yacht Hotel by DC and Wyndham Garden Sonasea Van Don have created warm, traditional Tet-themed spaces while organising Vietnamese Tet cultural experiences for visitors, particularly international tourists. These experiences include enjoying Tet cuisine, participating in hands-on workshops to create Tet handicrafts, wearing traditional ao dai for photo check-ins, joining folk games, learning about Vietnamese Tet customs and traditions….bringing the the essence of Tet closer to visitors.
By Duy Khoa