Vietnam is renowned for its rich heritage, offering visitors a glimpse into fascinating traditions that create unforgettable experiences. Let Top10Travel guide you through the top 10 Vietnamese cultural practices you might encounter — and fall in love with — during your journey through Vietnam.
Table of Contents
1. First-footing (Xông đất)
“Xông đất”, translated into English as “first-footing”, refers to the arrival of the first guest to step foot into a Vietnamese home after the Lunar New Year begins. The belief behind “xông đất” is that the luck and personality of the person who does “xông đất” will decide the family’s luck for the entire year. If the first visitor is considered lucky and brings positive energy, it’s believed that the family will enjoy happiness, prosperity, and good health in the coming year. However, if the first person to enter is viewed as unlucky or if they have a negative reputation, it is believed that the household may face bad luck in the next year.
Therefore, families could be very picky about their first visitor of the New Year. However, the person who does “xông đất” for a Vietnamese family may be given a warm welcome, as well as many kinds of gifts, such as fruit, tea, or “lucky money” (lì xì), as tokens of prosperity and appreciation. If the owner allows, try “first-footing” a Vietnamese café or restaurant when you arrive in Vietnam during Lunar New Year!
2. Ancestor worship (Thờ cúng tổ tiên)
Ancestor worship is a deep-rooted practice in Vietnamese culture. Families honor their ancestors through rituals, offerings, and maintaining ancestral altars in homes. During each lunar month’s 1st and 15th days, Vietnamese families offer their ancestors with lunches, often including boiled chicken and other traditional dishes, such as “chả giò” (pig meat and pork minced into the shapes of cylinders) and “xôi gấc” (sticky rice colored red by the color of the “gấc” fruit). They often pray for their ancestors’ well-being in the afterlife, while also wishing the ancestors to give them blessings in their current lives.
Respect and inheritance from the past are the foundations of Vietnamese culture, and the worshipping of ancestors perfectly reflects those values. This is the classic way for the Vietnamese family to remind themselves of how they were born, as well as how they can remember and pay tributes to the ancestors who raised them and gave them the culture they are so proud of.
Many Vietnamese traditional art troupes and craft villages also pay homage to the arts’ ancestors (tổ nghề) as well. Face-to-face with the art founders’ altars, they wish for prosperous homes and enjoyable artworks, and vow not to let the art founders down with their succession. This is how Vietnamese artists remind themselves of their duties in preserving traditional arts and crafts.
3. Pagoda attendance
In addition to worshipping ancestors during the 1st and 15th days of each lunar month, Vietnamese people also attend local pagodas – Buddhism church-like places – to wish for blessings and good fortune. The pagodas offer their visitors “bánh oản” pies, a type of pies made of sticky rice powder, as well as other tokens of appreciation. Some pagodas also offer occasional lectures from the monks on Buddhism life lessons, such as how people should live in peace with one another, or how you can happily accept that things come and go in your life. Many Vietnamese business owners attend pagodas, attempting to send to Buddhism entities their wishes for prosperity and smooth business operations.
It is highly recommended that you attend Vietnamese pagodas in long skirts and pants. Smart-casual clothes are welcomed, but be sure to dress yourself in clothes that conceal a large deal of skin, as revealing clothes might be deemed “insulting” towards Buddhism entities. Many pagodas also have “hòm công đức” (donation boxes) next to the altars, where visitors can donate to the pagodas’ activities and charities as well.
4. Calligraphy (Thư pháp)
Vietnamese calligraphy (“thư pháp”, literally translated into “way of writing”) is a beautiful form of writing that uses ink brushes to create graceful characters. Calligraphy artworks are often used for decorative purposes, but many Vietnamese people believe that they are capable of bringing them good fortune. During the Lunar New Year celebration, it is very common to see people, dressed in black and white “áo dài”, writing good wishes for the upcoming year in calligraphy on red paper. Many Vietnamese business owners and scholars decorate their houses with these artworks, as tokens of wealth, knowledge and sometimes self-image.
This special art is sure to give visitors some shock and awe, with the artistic beauty of Vietnamese letters and words converted into art. All calligraphy artworks convey certain messages and wishes to those who receive them – ask the writer “what does this mean?” and you will be amazed with the answers. Be sure to decorate your house with a piece of calligraphy as a memento of your Vietnam experience!
5. Pre-Engagement ceremony (Dạm hỏi)
“Dạm hỏi” is a special ceremony before the engagement of a Vietnamese couple. Literally translated into “asking for the bride’s hand”, this ceremony marks the beginning of the official courtship between the couple and their families. While the engagement itself is often seen as a more formal agreement, “dạm hỏi” is the ritual where both families meet to discuss key aspects of the marriage in a more casual setting.
“Dạm hỏi” serves as a gesture of respect between the couple’s families, while also emphasizing the importance of families in Vietnamese culture. This is the chance for the groom’s family to formally express their interest in marrying the bride, focusing mainly on seeking the acceptance of the bride’s family. During the ceremony, the groom’s family typically brings a “trầu cau” (a serving of betel leaf and areca nut), which symbolizes the formal request to ask for the bride’s hand. The famous Vietnamese idiom “miếng trầu là đầu câu chuyện” (“a piece of betel starts a tale”) stemmed from this dish as well!
6. Lunar New Year wishes (Chúc Tết)
Wishing for good luck, prosperity and happiness is an important part of the Lunar New Year celebration. If you have a chance to visit Vietnam during Lunar New Year days, you can see Vietnamese people walking down the streets, wearing colorful áo dài dresses, wishing one another for joy and fortune in the upcoming year. Lunar New Year is also an opportunity for Vietnamese family gathering, so you might see entire families with children and elders too! When you walk into a Vietnamese household during Tết days, be sure to send them your own wishes of luck and fortune for the upcoming year!
7. Family meals
Unlike in many Western countries, where every family member gets their own servings of food, meals in Vietnamese families are often shared, with plates of food placed at the center of the table for everyone. Before having their meals, Vietnamese family members would often “invite” (“mời”) one another to the meal, saying “mời cả nhà ăn cơm” to show their respect towards other people on the table, especially elders.
The tradition of family dining emphasizes the importance of unity and respect in Vietnamese culture. If you are enjoying your Vietnam experience in groups, dining together like a Vietnamese family could be a great opportunity for you to taste a local meal!
8. Burning the offerings (Hoá vàng)
The “hoá vàng” tradition is a significant and meaningful custom in Vietnamese funeral culture, deeply rooted in the country’s spiritual beliefs and practices around death, the afterlife, and ancestor worship. Literally translated into “burning the offerings”, “hoá vàng” involves burning paper money and symbolic items, such as gold, jewelry, clothing, cars, houses, and even fake food, which are believed to be sent to the deceased in the afterlife. These items are meant to provide the deceased with the comforts and luxuries they would have enjoyed during their lifetime.
“Hoá vàng” is performed during funerals, death anniversaries, and the 4th day of each Lunar New Year – after the first three days, when Vietnamese families have their ancestors celebrating the New Year with them, they do “hoá vàng” to give their ancestors parting gifts as the deceased return to the underworld.
At first glance, “hoá vàng” might bring unpleasant smoke and smells, but the cultural story and belief behind this practice is amazing!
9. Lucky money (Lì xì)
The “lì xì” tradition (derived from the Chinese word 利是, meaning “lucky money”) is a beloved and deeply meaningful custom in Vietnamese culture, particularly during the Lunar New Year celebration. It involves the giving of red envelopes containing money to children, young people, and sometimes older family members. The tradition conveys wishes of good luck, well-being, prosperity, and blessings for the upcoming year. Whether it’s for children, young adults, or elderly family members, “lì xì” reinforces the Vietnamese values of family, respect and care, making it one of the most cherished aspects of Lunar New Year celebrations. Try giving your children “lì xì” the Vietnamese way – it would give your family a memorable experience!
10. Lantern parade (Rước đèn)
“Rước đèn” refers to the ceremonial procession or parade of lanterns, usually during cultural or religious events. The practice involves people carrying lanterns while participating in a procession, often as part of a larger ceremony or festival. The most iconic lantern parade tied to Vietnamese culture is the Mid-Autumn Festival (Tết Trung Thu) parade.
During Tết Trung Thu, children often take part in lantern parades, carrying colorful paper lanterns that are often shaped like animals and stars. This joyful event is typically held at night, when children walk in the streets or around the village or neighborhood, singing songs and raising lanterns. For visitors, “rước đèn” offers a fascinating window into the heart of Vietnam, lying in the cultural importance of family, and community.
Conclusion
Vietnamese culture has many hidden gems waiting to be explored by tourists. Many of these gems simply lie in Vietnamese cultural practices, emphasizing unity, family and respect towards legacies of the past. If you would like to know more about Vietnam, sign up to Top10Travel’s newsletters for more exclusive travel content!
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