There are no regulations, yet during the 10 days before Tet, markets in rural areas around the country seem more exciting with many Tet commodities available. Tet markets often begin earlier and close later than usual.  Early in the morning, the markets are already filled with sellers and buyers. They even meet out on the roads along the dykes. Sellers smile over baskets offering their products, while buyers go back and forth trying to find the best things for their Tet. The huge piles of goods on sale include chicken, joss sticks, fruit, vegetables, clothes, and Tet treats such as dong leaves, peach blossoms and kumquats. Children may be the happiest souls here. Wearing new and beautiful outfits, they all get excited and like shouting and running around the market.

Modern rural Tet markets are different from traditional ones, which used to be very poor. Sellers only offered what they had in their houses such as pigs, chickens, eggs or a hand of bananas. They even sold rice to earn some money for Tet spending.

Although he left the country many years ago, Poet Ha Cu still remembers the simple rural Tet market of his childhood. Every year, when Tet comes, he always tries to arrange a time to go to a rural market.

“Those who live far away from their homeland often try to attend Tet markets to see their homeland’s development, meet friends and recall the past,” said Mr Cu. “Whenever attending a Tet market at home, many beautiful memories return and it moves me with a combination of happiness, sadness and nostalgia.”

Eighty-five year old folklore researcher Vu Ngoc Khanh sees rural Tet markets in a different way.

“Visiting a Tet market in the past was very interesting and you could see stalls selling Tet paintings, including both Vietnamese and Chinese paintings,” said Mr Khanh. “Nearby you would see scholars and their students writing parallel sentences for sale or even children’s toyshops. Today’s Tet market offers a wider range of products. If previously, goods were provided by locals from the village, commune or region, nowadays, goods also come from across the country. The simplicity of the old rural Tet market has somehow been reduced yet it is an inevitable result of development.”

Rural Tet markets are always busy with excitement in the last few days ahead of Tet, where you can find flowers, peach blossoms, kumquat trees and ornamental trees at much cheaper prices. Bargaining during these two days seems to be easier as both sellers and buyers want to rush home and welcome in the New Year.