TET - Holiday experience in Nam

Traveling as they say, is always an enriching experience. For the past 4 years during the Lunar new year holidays , we have been traveling only to the local beaches, or the river side resorts and spend our time eating and getting drunk. But this time when my Vietnamese friend invited me for visiting their family and friends during their most important festival " Tet", I decided to visit Vietnam . That's how it began.

The preparations were over before well over a week after obtaining the necessary travel documents etc.
Our journey began on Tuesday morning by bus from Phnom Penh at 7'o clock to Ho Chi Minh city erstwhile called Saigon. The journey was uneventful apart from the brief delay at the ferry crossing across the Mekong river called Neuk Loung and the immigration formalities at Bavet-Moc Bai border crossing.
We noticed a curious thing as the driver suddenly had dropped to 20 km/ph speed after he crossed the border from 110 km/hr average speed. Then we noticed on a roadside coffee shop a group of traffic policemen sitting with their speed checkers and the camera on.

We laughed and the driver too laughed. Soon after he resumed his usual speed again after he received periodic hand wave signals!! from the drivers coming in the opposite direction.

We reached Ho chi Minh city, at 2 in the afternoon and I proceeded alone almost immediately after getting a phone card to my friend's place called Can Tho city which is 220 km south east of Ho chi Minh .

In spite of the holiday season the taxi driver charging me only the normal fare made me wonder. On the road side and atop houses and buildings we could see the yellow star in red, Vietnamese flags flying with yellow " Konrai" pookal in front of the houses, with " Chuc Mung Nam Moi" meaning wishing you a happy new year in gold letters welcoming the visitors.

The well carved roads snaked along busy cities and towns full of lush green coconut, mango, and atthi trees broken by vast paddy fields made the 3 hour taxi ride pleasant. Wherever one can see it was only green.

I arrived at the Can Tho city ferry terminal at half past five in the evening and while waiting for the taxi to board the ferry, were greeted by the smiling faces of street vendors selling pork sausages called Xuc xic and a slightly less sweeter form of Kozhukattai wrapped in bamboo leaves wearing their Nuoc la , the conical bamboo hats.
Arrived at the hotel where my friend awaited me in the lounge and after a steaming bath and a changeover to fresh clothes, felt fully refreshed.

After that, we went down and sat in the restaurant which had comfortable rattan chairs facing the river. The entire place was lit with bright serial lights and red lanterns marking the arrival of New Year and the place was abuzz with young men and women with their families and friends.

We started our dinner with the local Saigon beer, and it is quite shocking for people other than South East Asia to see them fill their beer glasses with ice and then pouring beer on top of that. It was a nice experience anyway.
We ordered tom yum soup cooked in Vietnamese style and the hot and sour soup was a heavenly start. Our main course consisted of a fish, Ca in Vietnamese steam cooked and sautéed in oyster sauce and spiced with shallots, ginger and lemon grass and white rice.

We had our fill as I had not had my lunch and after a few bottles of beer, and the cool gentle breeze made us sleepy and we retired to our rooms.

The next day started with a motor bike ride to my friend's house which was 20 minutes from the city. On our way my friend bought 2 cases of beer and sweets from the grocer nearby. It gave me a clear indication that I will not be returning to my room in the evening in a sober note.

Anyway, we proceeded to their house through labyrinthine motorway along a canal and we finally arrived at their house, where people were waiting in their doorsteps to greet us. My friend later told me that this was the first time a foreigner has come to their house.

All along the way, people were curiously looking at me because of my complexion and a stocky frame which differ from their lean and short frames. As soon as I entered their house they gave me a glass of ice cold water, which made me think of the similarities in our cultures. Then my friend took me to her mother's tomb which was nearby and we burnt incense over her tomb and laid down the sampangi flowers which we had bought.
Then we sat down in the main hall where people were arranging plates full of meat, rice, fish, sweets and nuts and glasses.

As soon as I entered there they shouted" Xin Chao" a friendly greeting means hello and gave a glass of beer called Bia in Vietnamese. I was overwhelmed by their show of friendliness and responded happily.
Each glass will be started with a Mot, Hai, Ba, Yoooo, cheer and well before noon got drunk.
Then, as I had been informed earlier all the children in the family lined up for the ceremonial greeting and to receive their good luck money for the New Year called "Li Se". The money is given in a red and gold cover to the children and younger people and will be kept as a good luck charm for the entire year.

Strict vegan travelers will find it extremely difficult as almost all the cuisine contains some form of meat or egg. Even the salad at times when not asked specifically will be served with minced meat in it.
I wanted to try and enjoy the local flavor as I thought it is only just and hence did not search for any of our Indian restaurants.

The next day being the actual New Year day, my friend took me to the famed red pagoda which is situated on the river side just opposite the imposing Ho Chi Minh statue and park. The entire street was filled with incense smoke and konrai flowers and sampangi flowers and we went and prayed there before the Buddha and the other Bodhisattvas.

Then we started on a boat cruise along the Mekong delta and boats are for hire for a three our ride. The speed boat which had only my friend and me as passengers took us to the famed Can Tho water market where the people from the villages along the innumerable canals of the Mekong come to display their produce.
The boats sell goods ranging from vegetables, flowers, fruits, meat, and all types of wares. Bigger boats had along side their flags, display their wares attached to a long pole so that even from the distance customers can come to their boats to buy their goods. After that the boat took us to an island in the river where the Cantho city authorities have developed a park which has various features like canoeing, wind surfing, water skis, and a number of restaurants and food courts . After spending some time there we retired to our rooms and returned back in the evening to the riverside for a stroll and spent our time in one of the numerous coffee houses in the area.

The next day gave me some anxious moment as the bus which had planned to depart on Saturday has been cancelled and there were no means of transport available as all were booked earlier because of the holiday season. Relieved finally when my friend could arrange a ticket in a speed boat which shuttles between a city called Chu doc which is on the upper reach of Mekong where the river enters Vietnam from Cambodia.
The boat from Cantho was cancelled due to the holidays and it was available only from Chu doc.

It was a thrilling experience to travel by speed boat along Mekong which one should experience it personally. I must have felt overjoyed if my brother would have accompanied us during this holiday.
The four hour journey to Phnom Penh brought an end to the pleasant lunar New Year holidays and the beginning of the year of the Rat, and as the locals believe brings a year full of pleasant memories and good fortune.

- Ashok