Happy New Year!
We all know Tet is on its way,
but I'm curious about something:
do all the Western tourists in Vietnam during this special time of year know anything about it?
I'm going to head out to the street in a moment to find out.
I'm going to ask them a few basic questions about Tet,
and about a few characteristic items related to it.
For example, bánh chưng,
lì xì,
and these two types of tree.
All right, let's go.
And where are you from?
From Belgium.
Australia.
Brisbane, Australia.
Argentina.
From the United States.
Sweden.
From Canada.
Canada.
Originally from England.
From England.
So, I want to ask you about the Tet holiday, which is coming about in about two weeks here in Vietnam.
Do you know anything about the holiday?
Oh, very little, I know it's the new year.
I thought it was something to do with the new year.
Never heard of it.
It's the new year festival.
Based on the Chinese calendar, I think.
Do you know about how long the festival is?
Yeah, it's kind of . . .
three, four days, I think.
I read it was about three days.
I thought three days.
Three or four days, no? Something like that.
It could be, like, a week or so. I don't know.
Well, it's one week, I mean, the Vietnamese government have said it's one week.
So you know that every year in the lunar calendar—every year has an animal associated with it.
So do you happen to know, the year we're in right now is what animal,
and the new year in a couple weeks is going to be what animal?
-That's a good question. -I'm going to guess rooster, because I've seen a lot of them around.
The new year is the rooster, because I've seen a lot of golden roosters on sale.
Rooster.
I think the rabbit this year.
No.
This year I know is the rooster.
Chicken, yeah.
Yes, you got it.
So let me show you a few things related to Tet and see if you have any idea what they are.
Do you know what this thing is?
Yeah, it's a . . .
"banh nhung," but I'm not sure about the pronunciation.
I've seen it before. I don't know what it is, though.
Can I guess?
Sure, go for it.
Is it a gift to give to the family, or . . . ?
Rice?
Rice.
Sticky rice.
Green beans?
Yes.
And there's one more ingredient.
One more ingredient!
It's pork, maybe.
Say it louder.
Pork!
Yes!
Rice,
and green beans,
and some pork.
What do you think, does it look good?
Not overly.
What do you think, does it look like something you'd want to try?
Not particularly.
Yeah, and the name is "bánh chưng."
Have you got any idea what this might be?
It's a card?
Can you guess what's inside?
Probably money.
Is it for money?
Money?
Money.
Money or well wishes or . . .
Oh yeah, they give it as gifts to people.
It's good luck, isn't it, to pass on money in a red envelope.
I used to get these when I was a kid.
My dad has a lot of Asian business partners, and they used to give these to me.
-Have you seen any trees like this around? -No, I haven't.
Have you seen any trees like this around?
No.
No? Or like this?
Yes, I've seen them.
I've seen a couple of the pink ones being carried on the backs of motorbikes.
But I saw some guy on a motorbike carrying a big one of those.
This is a pear tree, I think . . .
It's actually a peach tree.
This one I have . . . I'm not sure about the name.
Yeah, this one, actually I don't know the name in English.
They call it—in Vietnamese it's "cây mai."
It's like a . . .
New Year Tree?
Like a . . .
Oriental Christmas Tree, like something . . .
Do you speak any Vietnamese?
Not much. "Chúc mừng năm mới!"
Okay, one more thing that I want to ask you:
Do you want me to teach you how to say "Happy New Year" in Vietnamese?
Yes.
Okay.
The first two words are "chúc mừng."
"Chúc mừng năm mới!"
Man, this guy's good.
Okay, I came up here wanting to see how much Westerners know about Tet.
Turns out they know quite a bit.
And I also want to wish all of you a healthy, lucky, and successful new year.
See ya.
Hey, everbody.
I wanted to let you know that my channel has two shirt designs for the new year.
They both say, "Don't be a chicken in the Year of the Chicken."
You guys remember what "chicken" means in English, right?
It means someone who's so cowardly it's pathetic.
So I hope this shirt will bring you bravery and strength in the Year of the Chicken.
You can buy one at printstyle.vn/danhauer.
I want to thank my girlfriend for designing these shirts,
and for driving me up to Hoan Kiem Lake,
and filming me while I interviewed people.
Next, I want to thank Pablo Yang for providing this background music.
You can follow his page at facebook.com/pblyng.
Third, I want to thank the people who agreed to appear in this video.
And finally, I want to thank all of you for watching.
Happy New Year!