In the second and third weeks of December of the lunar year,
Vietnamese begin to prepare for Tet. Marketplaces stay open
day and night to meet the demand of hundreds of thousands
of shoppers. Anyone would be amazed by the lively, bustling
and brilliant atmosphere of these marketplaces at this time
of the year. The coming of the New Year produces abundant
symbol of integration. People plan for the New Year well in
advance with an air of pleasure and anticipation. The ancestors
are coming for a visit and the entire family will be united.
The New Year has to be greeted with one's family in front
of the ancestral altar. This is the quintessential celebration
of the family as a living entity. Still the most attractive
and enjoyable marketplaces are the floral markets displaying
a dense variety of rare flowers. The Vietnamese love to decorate
their homes with flowers which have become a familiar sign of the
coming New Year.