According to legend and history, the Hong Bang Dynasty built Van Lang in 2879 BC and ruled the country for 2,622 years. Hung Vuong was the first emperor of Van Lang or Lac Viet. Legend tells of the dragon lord, Lạc Long Quan, and the mountain fairy, (sometimes a Chinese immortal) Au Co who had 100 children, of whom Hung Vuong was the eldest. The parents belonged to different environments, so they had to split up and take half of the sons to each homeland. Hung Vuong went to live by the coast near the sea, the domain of dragons. And since then Viet ethnic people began celebrating Tet. Banh Chung (Square cake) and Banh Day (round cake) were invented by the 18^th prince of the 6^th Hung Vuong, Lang Lieu.

The country early formed the traditional culture imbued with the special identity of Viet ethnic people. It featured special water rice agriculture with products from rice, the main food that fed people, and sticky rice, the most fragrant and tasty of foods. Stick rice was chosen to make cakes which were offered to ancestors on first days of New Year. In fact, until now nobody know exactly when the Viet ethnic people celebrated Tet. According to Chinese history, two Chinese mandarin Ren Yan and Ji Guang went to our country in the first century and taught people to cultivate and organize cultural activities, including Tet celebration. The fact showed that before China dominated our country, Viet ethnic people had had a special culture.

First to express this special culture is that not like Chinese emperors who followed Confucianism ideology and often relinquished the throne to the first prince, the six Hung Vuong of Van Lang did not follow the rule. He chose a successor who was gentle and virtuous.

Second, Lang Lieu was a prince and was impregnated with traditional culture. The Viet ethnic people’s ways of thinking was more practical than Chinese. Banh Chung (Square Cake) symbolized land. Land was not the earth but a square paddy field where farmers planted rice to feed themselves. Banh Day symbolized the sky. It did not mean the round sky but a circle of four seasons – spring, summer, autumn and winter.

Therefore, the traditional Lunar New Year festival was formed before the first century but not invented or assimilated by Chinese. However, as Vietnam and China are neighbours they did mutually influence each other. Particularly, when China dominated our country for many years, the influence became stronger. Banh Chung and Banh Day are specalities of the Viet ethnic people. The traditional New Year can be without red parallel but cannot be without square cake to offer our ancestors.