(VOVWORLD) - The Lunar New Year (Tet) atmosphere and a traditional Tet market of the Red River Delta have been vividly recreated in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, seeking to preserve traditional cultural values while taking visitors on a nostalgic journey into the past.
 A traditional three-compartment wooden house is recreated at the Cultural and Arts Center at 22 Hang Buom street, Hanoi. (Photo: Kim Lieu/VOV5) |
Upon entering the Cultural and Arts Center at 22 Hang Buom street, visitors are drawn to a traditional three-compartment wooden house featuring a wide veranda, a solid framework of pillars and beams, and intricate carvings.
Familiar household items, including wooden beds, long benches, display cabinets, ancestral altars, lacquered boards, and parallel sentences, are thoughtfully arranged alongside peach blossoms, kumquat trees, and traditional folk paintings, creating a warm and nostalgic Tet atmosphere.
“We have recreated a traditional house of the Northern region, with particular attention given to the ancestral altar. The wooden house with objects that reflect Vietnamese culture offers a warm and intimate Tet space in the Old Quarter,” Ngo Thi Thuy Duong, Head of the Hoan Kiem Lake and Old Quarter Management Board, said.
 A stall selling handmade embroidery items (Photo: Kim Lieu/VOV5) |
As Duong said, the most specially arranged area is the ancestral altar, symbolizing filial piety and gratitude of descendants toward their ancestors.
On the altar, the incense burner is placed at the center. Behind it are ancestral tablets or portraits. Alongside are a colorful five-fruit tray, representing wishes for prosperity and peace in the new year; Chung and Giay (square and round sticky rice) cakes symbolizing Heaven and Earth; peach blossoms and chrysanthemums arranged in ceramic vases; liquor, betel, areca, and other traditional offerings.
“This worship space also serves as the bridge between the living and the departed. Tet is a time of family reunion,” said painter Nguyen Manh Duc, who helped to arrange this traditional Tet cultural space.
 The ancestral altar is the most carefully arranged and sacred space in the traditional house. (Photo: Kim Lieu/VOV5) |
The traditional Northern Delta Tet market features a variety of stalls, all brightly decorated with red lanterns, parallel sentences, and peach blossoms. Food stalls offer Chung cakes, jams, puffed rice cakes, lotus tea, and other seasonal treats.
Handicraft stalls showcase products such as Ha Thai lacquerware, Chuong Village conical hats, Dong Ho folk paintings, Chang Son paper fans, and toy figurines. A calligraphy space has also been set up, where visitors can request characters symbolizing good fortune for the new year.
“We have stalls to introduce visitors to traditional Vietnamese Tết customs of the past, including hanging folk paintings, drinking tea, and writing calligraphy. The sides of the house feature horn carving and lacquerware crafts,” said Cu Thi Thu Thuy, Head of the Vietnamese Craft Essence Club.
 Visitors can request characters symbolizing good fortune for the new year. (Photo: Kim Lieu/VOV5) |
“This is where the rural Northern space blends with old Hanoi. I’m rediscovering memories and also many new and interesting things,” Hanoian Nguyen Hoang Lam said.
Another local, Truong Thi Hien, said, “My first impression was of a warm, cozy space that reminds me of Tet during the subsidy period long ago. Although life was difficult then, people celebrated Tet with all their joy. Stepping in here, I really feel that Tet is very close.”
Thai Kim Ngoc, a visitor from Ho Chi Minh City, said,“I find that Tet in Ho Chi Minh City is different from that in Hanoi. In the capital, traditional values are still preserved. I see calligraphers, Dong Ho folk paintings, very ancient and beautiful. It really carries the spirit of Hanoi – calm and gentle.”