Vietnam: Tet (Vietnamese New Year) celebrants lighting incense sticks at Tran Quoc Pagoda, Ho Tay...

Hanoi’s oldest temple, Chua Tran Quoc, sits on a tiny island just west of the causeway at Ho Tay (West Lake). The pagoda’s precise origins are unknown, but according to legend it was originally established by the banks of the Red River during the reign of King Ly Nam De (544–48) in a brief interregnum during the millennium of Chinese occupation. It was moved to Kim Ngu Island during the 17th century, and is more remarkable for its lovely setting than for its somewhat austere interior. Vietnam’s greatest national holiday is Tet – more properly, Tet Nguyen Dan, ‘Festival of the First Day’ – coinciding with the first day of the lunar New Year. During the week before Tet, Vietnamese pay off their debts, clean the tombs of their ancestors, make a report on the state of the household during the past year to the Jade Emperor, and decorate their houses with sprigs of peach blossom or kumquat trees. The three days of Tet are very much a domestic affair, with all members of the family (including the spirits of the deceased) gathered under one roof.