Happy new year
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Happy new year
toanspace Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:02 am
Xin chao, Chuc Mung Nam Moi! everyone! Happy New year
Maybe you are forget about Tet, here is some information that may be helpful to you.
In a nutshell:
Tet is the most important holiday in the Vietnamese culture. It is like several holidays rolled into one:
• Thanksgiving - time to reflect on one's good fortunes and give thanks; focus on food and family, including ancestors
• Birthday - everyone turns a year older on Tet
• First Day of Spring - the tree with yellow flowers called "Mai" only blooms during this time; the fruit Durian (smelly to some of us) is in season;
Good websites:
• http://www.vietmedia.com/culture/?L=tet.html - Excellent source of information about many aspects of Vietnamese culture
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%E1%BA%BFt
Some thoughts about "Lucky Money" or "Lixi":
Traditionally Vietnamese people gave lucky money only to children at Tet. In modern times, people began giving gift baskets to their bosses, neighbors, elders, colleagues, business partners, etc. much like the Western tradition of Christmas gifts. Also, many working adults receive Tet bonuses from their employers (usually one month's salary).
As a foreigner living in Vietnam, you may wish to show thanks to people who work for you such as your assistant, cleaner, security guard, regular xe om driver, hair/nail lady... well, we could go on and on. We know that many of you are worried about the amount to give, but we can honestly say that even Vietnamese people have trouble agreeing what is "customary." often go around the day before Tet Break and lixi ALL staff as a gesture of good luck for the year. We would recommend that you give a token of appreciation to any Vietnamese person on staff who has helped you either on a regular basis or with whom you'd like to thank. This token of appreciation can be in the form of money or a nice gift basket (put together yourself, wrapped for free at the customer service counter, or purchased ready-made at any supermarket). You do not need to lixi to everyone. The act of lixi is really about the relationship that you personally have with that person.
Some suggested guidelines for you as you navigate this often tricky tradition:
• Give money to people in red/yellow/Tet envelopes, not just plain cash. You can find these envelopes at FiviMart, CoopMart, PNC, Tan My market, and along many local streets in town.
• Try to give new or newish bills (try to avoid giving out the old bills if you can because it's the new year and new money is important in this tradition). You can go to the bank and get new bills if you'd like. Coins are not really given, except to really young children who don't know any better.
• We usually carry extra envelopes filled with small bills (10-20,000) just in case we forget someone, and we always do. You will find people wishing you a happy new year and smiling at you an awful lot during Tet. We like to have a few extra envelopes handy for situations when a "Happy new year to you, too" just doesn't cut it.
• Your house helpers: One month's salary for a regular full-time employee (maid, nanny). If you have a new employee or one who is shared among several households, use your own judgment (300,000 seems reasonable).
• 20,000 VND is the minimum amount that we would put in an envelope for an adult (e.g. acquaintance, hair/nail lady), just to be polite.
These are just a few thoughts to help with understanding this tradition. Again, please do not worry too much about the amount you give for "lucky money." It's about the relationship you built with the people you work with or come in contact. But the good news is, Vietnamese people are usually very forgiving of foreigners. Any gesture of thanks, given with your best intentions, will surely be appreciated.
Chuc mung nam moi!
Toan
Maybe you are forget about Tet, here is some information that may be helpful to you.
In a nutshell:
Tet is the most important holiday in the Vietnamese culture. It is like several holidays rolled into one:
• Thanksgiving - time to reflect on one's good fortunes and give thanks; focus on food and family, including ancestors
• Birthday - everyone turns a year older on Tet
• First Day of Spring - the tree with yellow flowers called "Mai" only blooms during this time; the fruit Durian (smelly to some of us) is in season;
Good websites:
• http://www.vietmedia.com/culture/?L=tet.html - Excellent source of information about many aspects of Vietnamese culture
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%E1%BA%BFt
Some thoughts about "Lucky Money" or "Lixi":
Traditionally Vietnamese people gave lucky money only to children at Tet. In modern times, people began giving gift baskets to their bosses, neighbors, elders, colleagues, business partners, etc. much like the Western tradition of Christmas gifts. Also, many working adults receive Tet bonuses from their employers (usually one month's salary).
As a foreigner living in Vietnam, you may wish to show thanks to people who work for you such as your assistant, cleaner, security guard, regular xe om driver, hair/nail lady... well, we could go on and on. We know that many of you are worried about the amount to give, but we can honestly say that even Vietnamese people have trouble agreeing what is "customary." often go around the day before Tet Break and lixi ALL staff as a gesture of good luck for the year. We would recommend that you give a token of appreciation to any Vietnamese person on staff who has helped you either on a regular basis or with whom you'd like to thank. This token of appreciation can be in the form of money or a nice gift basket (put together yourself, wrapped for free at the customer service counter, or purchased ready-made at any supermarket). You do not need to lixi to everyone. The act of lixi is really about the relationship that you personally have with that person.
Some suggested guidelines for you as you navigate this often tricky tradition:
• Give money to people in red/yellow/Tet envelopes, not just plain cash. You can find these envelopes at FiviMart, CoopMart, PNC, Tan My market, and along many local streets in town.
• Try to give new or newish bills (try to avoid giving out the old bills if you can because it's the new year and new money is important in this tradition). You can go to the bank and get new bills if you'd like. Coins are not really given, except to really young children who don't know any better.
• We usually carry extra envelopes filled with small bills (10-20,000) just in case we forget someone, and we always do. You will find people wishing you a happy new year and smiling at you an awful lot during Tet. We like to have a few extra envelopes handy for situations when a "Happy new year to you, too" just doesn't cut it.
• Your house helpers: One month's salary for a regular full-time employee (maid, nanny). If you have a new employee or one who is shared among several households, use your own judgment (300,000 seems reasonable).
• 20,000 VND is the minimum amount that we would put in an envelope for an adult (e.g. acquaintance, hair/nail lady), just to be polite.
These are just a few thoughts to help with understanding this tradition. Again, please do not worry too much about the amount you give for "lucky money." It's about the relationship you built with the people you work with or come in contact. But the good news is, Vietnamese people are usually very forgiving of foreigners. Any gesture of thanks, given with your best intentions, will surely be appreciated.
Chuc mung nam moi!
Toan
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