Jan. 29 is Tết Nguyên Đán, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, and celebrations have already begun for Boston’s Vietnamese community. 

“Tet in Boston,” sponsored by Dorchester’s Boston Little Saigon, was held at the Flynn Cruiseport on Jan. 25 and 26. The festival featured local vendors, nonprofit booths, raffles and a long list of performers including popular Vietnamese singer Don Hồ. 

This was the first year that Tet in Boston was celebrated over two days, with the festival expecting to draw a crowd of 5,000. The event is run by a committee of dedicated community members and supported by dozens of volunteers. Dung Huyhn has been working at Boston Little Saigon for two years and Tet in Boston is one of his favorite parts of the job. 

“It’s so important—it just brings the Vietnamese community together. Like gathering each other in this spot to celebrate the holiday, that’s special,” he said. 

Alina Truong, another festival volunteer, agreed. 

“Every year brings in new people,” she said. “For me it’s like, I get to create a memory for someone. That’s special. And New Years is very big in the Vietnamese community. It’s special to me.” 

At the entrance to the festival, attendees walked through an ornate archway reading “chợ bến thành.” The archway is an homage to the Ben Thanh Market, at the center of former Saigon—now Ho Chi Minh City—a cultural landmark that dates back to the early 20th century. 

Below the market sign, another sign read: “Hội Chơi Tết Boston 2025,” or “Tet Fair Boston 2025” and “Nhớ Sài Gòn Xưa,” or “I miss Saigon a lot.” 

The festival’s decorations were reminiscent of Old Saigon, the South Vietnamese capital that fell 50 years ago to the North Vietnamese army. The decorations inspired both celebration and reflection, two important aspects of the Tet holiday. 

Kim Nguyen, co-owner of the A-C Farm Market on Dorchester Avenue, said “on the New Year, we talk on how last year we [did] something bad or good. And [by doing that] we have luck for next year.” 

This year, Tet celebrates the year of the snake on the Vietnamese zodiac calendar. Festival attendees Vivian and Vivica Vu-Le said the zodiac calendar is one of the main differences between the Lunar New Year and the Western New Year. 

“Each year represents a different animal, and each animal has a different meaning,” said Vivica. “It brings different things for different people.” 

“The snake represents wisdom, I think,” Vivian said. “So people who were born in the year of the snake are considered to be wise. They’ll have extra luck this year.” 

Vivian and Vivica are twins, born in the year of the goat, and they were cautious about what to expect from this Lunar New Year.

 “Snake is almost like–it’s not evil–but it’s very different from a goat. So definitely, you have to watch out. We don’t really see much of a difference yet, but a lot of learning lessons,” Vivian said.

The goat differs from the Chinese zodiac calendar, which recognizes the year of the sheep instead. 

“I guess they really mean the same thing, but some of the animals are different,” said Vivica. “Vietnam is the goat and China is the sheep, but it’s almost like it’s actually the same thing. It’s just a translation thing.” 

Vivica, who is the president of the Asian Student Association at Salem State University, said everyone celebrates Lunar New Year a little differently. 

“Today, you kind of get to see the Vietnamese way of celebrating the new year, but even with the differences in China, Korea, Singapore or Malaysia, it’s a very similar message,” she said. “It’s good to actually get a little exposure.” 

One of the Lunar New Year traditions that remains consistent through regional celebrations are the red envelopes, which were sold at many vendor stalls throughout the Tet fair. The A-C Farm Market’s Nguyen spoke about the red envelope tradition. The red envelopes, she said, are filled with money and are given to children by older family members. They symbolize luck and prosperity for the New Year. 

While festival organizers and attendees were eager to speak about many traditions, one aspect of the Tet celebrations drew the most excitement. “The best part is definitely the food,” said Huynh of Boston Little Saigon. 

Nguyen’s favorite tradition is coming together and sharing a meal with her family. “Mother, sister, brother, grandma, child. We come together and we cook and we eat,” she said. 

The festival had no shortage of traditional Vietnamese dishes. Food stands lined the aisles, reminiscent again of the real Ben Thanh market in Saigon with over 1,500 vendor booths. Some stands were run by local restaurants like Dorchester’s Gao Vietnamese Kitchen and some were run by home cooks, small caterers and temples. They served popular dishes like phở, bánh bao, cao lầu and gỏi cuốn. Many booths also served the traditional Bánh tét, a dish that is prepared and eaten as a part of Tet celebrations. 

“It’s basically like a sticky rice,” Vivica said. “Inside is like mung beans and pork belly. It also has a hint of banana leaf, because that’s what it’s wrapped in.” 

“I will say it’s not like the best Vietnamese dish ever, but eating this bánh here, I feel like it brings so much nostalgia. Because you always make it and eat it during the New Year,” said Vivian. 

Bánh tét, red envelopes, lights and lanterns will be in good supply as the Tet observances continue in Boston this week. Vivica Vu-Le encourages everyone to join the celebration of the year of the snake. 

“I just think that everyone, whether you’re Vietnamese or not, should celebrate Lunar New Year,” she said. “Getting people into the spirit is the best part. It brings people together.” 

Those looking to continue celebrating the Lunar New Year will have plenty of opportunities this week and beyond. Tet celebrations will continue in the Dorchester area with VietAID’s free Lunar New Year celebration on Feb. 8. Other celebrations include the MFA’s Lunar New Year Special Event on Jan. 30, the Harvard Square Celebrations at the Cambridge Public Library on Feb. 1 and the Chinatown New Year Lion Dance Parade and Cultural Village on Feb. 8.