Holiday dinner still a revered tradition

Things change with the times, but the Lunar New Year's Eve dinner, the last meal of the lunar year, remains the most important tradition among Vietnamese.

"The meal signals the beginning of celebrations for Lunar New Year. It also gives family members the chance to gather to pray for their ancestors, talk about the past year's activities, including the difficulties encountered and plans for the coming year," said Phan Thi Vang, a woman in her mid-60s.

Nguyen Thi Dieu Anh, a middle-aged Hanoi resident, said that although some traditional practices have gradually disappeared because of the improvement of people's economic situations, the dishes served during on the eve of Lunar New Year - Tet in Vietnamese - have remained basically unchanged.