Tet is the biggest traditional holiday for Vietnamese people. Therefore, every detail related to Tet is very important, especially the New Year feast. Depending on the region and the conditions of each household, the feast can be big or small and include different dishes.
Below, we would like to introduce to you a collection of 20 delicious dishes from North to South that showcase the essence of Vietnamese Tet.
1. What are the delicious Tet dishes in the North?
Pork Skin and Pork Belly Soup
Pork skin and pork belly soup, also known as assorted pork offal soup, is a combination of main ingredients such as pork skin, pork belly, pork offal, and wood ear mushrooms. All these ingredients come together to create a delicious soup with a sweet and clear broth, chewy and soft pork skin, fatty and fragrant pork belly, and refreshing wood ear mushrooms. It is an extremely tasty dish.
Pork Skin and Pork Belly Soup
Unlike the bitter melon soup of the South, the Tet welcoming soup of the North, especially in Hanoi, is usually the pork skin and pork belly soup, which is quite elaborate and rich in flavor. On the relatively cold and dry first days of the year, this soup will make you feel warmer, and it also has the effect of nourishing the blood and beautifying the skin!
You can learn more through the article Guide to Making Pork Skin and Pork Belly Soup.
Banh Chung (Vietnamese Square Sticky Rice Cake)
Banh Chung for Tet
Banh Chung is one of the traditional cakes of the Vietnamese people and is considered the soul of the Tet feast in the North. Banh Chung is wrapped in dong leaves, and the filling is made from sticky rice, mung beans, and pork belly. It is quite difficult to cook, so to make delicious cakes, you must be skillful and have some experience.
The presence of Banh Chung in the Tet feast conveys many profound meanings. First, it expresses gratitude to the heavens and the earth for the favorable weather and a bountiful harvest, bringing a warm and prosperous life. In addition, offering Banh Chung also expresses filial piety to parents and grandparents. Or, when giving Tet gifts, people often include a pair of green Banh Chung, which symbolizes good luck and wishes for prosperity in the new year.
You can learn more through the article Guide to Making Banh Chung.
Gio Cha (Vietnamese Pork Sausage)
Gio Cha is indispensable in the Tet feast
Gio Cha is an indispensable dish in the Tet feast in Hanoi. It can be said that the cuisine of the North in general and Hanoi in particular is elaborate, subtle, and meticulous, and when you taste a piece of Gio Cha, you will perceive this even more.
Each piece of Gio Cha in the Tet feast must be neat and evenly arranged on the plate, with bright colors and a rich meaty flavor. Depending on preferences or regional customs, the Gio Cha dish for Tet in the North can be Gio Lua (lean pork sausage), gio thu (head cheese), or cha que (cinnamon pork sausage).
Boiled Chicken
Boiled Chicken with Golden Lemon Leaves
From North to South, boiled chicken is included in the Tet feast. The right boiled chicken dish has a golden color, tender and fragrant meat, and a crispy and shiny skin. There are various ways to boil chicken, such as using lemon leaves, ginger, garlic, or beer. In the Tet feast, boiled chicken symbolizes peace and prosperity, wishing for good luck and blessings in the new year.
You can learn more through the article Guide to Boiling Chicken.
Fried Spring Rolls
Crispy Fried Spring Rolls
One of the most elaborate and meticulous dishes in the Tet feast of the North is Fried Spring Rolls. The spring rolls are fried until golden brown and drained of excess oil to create a crispy texture, with a rich flavor from the meat, wood ear mushrooms, and other ingredients. It is a dish that cannot be missed in the Tet feast from North to South.
You can learn more through the article Guide to Making Fried Spring Rolls.
Bamboo Shoot Soup
 and pork bones, pork belly, or pork neck…</b> When eating, you will taste the sweet and slightly sour and spicy flavor of the bamboo shoots combined with the sweet and buttery taste of the meat and bones—a very appealing dish.</p>
<h4><b>Xoi Gac (Red Sticky Rice with Gac Fruit)</b></h4>
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Xoi Gac, a Symbol of Good Luck
Of course, sticky rice is a dish that cannot be missed during the traditional Tet holiday because it carries the lucky red color. While the Central region has sticky rice with mung beans and the South has sticky rice with black beans, the North is characterized by Xoi Gac.
Xoi Gac is made from sticky rice and the flesh of the gac fruit, mixed and cooked together to create a natural color and flavor, free from artificial colors, and very healthy.
Che Kho (Vietnamese Pudding)
Che Kho in Tet of the North
Among the important dishes in the Tet feast of the North, there must be the yellow color of Che Kho, a pudding made from mung beans, corn, and coconut shreds. It brings a sweet and refreshing flavor, blending with the buttery taste of coconut shreds. Enjoy it with a cup of hot tea to ward off the cold of the early days of the year in the North.
Thit Dong (Vietnamese Aspic)
Thit Dong, a Specialty of Tet in the North
Perhaps, among the Tet dishes of the North, Thit Dong is the dish that, when mentioned, people will immediately think of the cuisine of Hanoi. It is made from pork, chicken, or sometimes pig’s trotters, which are then simmered overnight to become a very attractive aspic.
This dish is even better when served with a pickle in the chilly weather of the early days of the year, and it is a dish that cannot be missed in the feast of the Northern people.
Refer to the article Collection of Easy-to-Make, Delicious Side Dishes for more information.
2. What are the delicious Tet dishes in the Central region?
Pork Belly in Fish Sauce
Pork Belly in Fish Sauce
Having talked about the South and the North, let’s now move on to a dish that cannot be missed in the Tet meal of the Central region: Pork Belly in Fish Sauce. Not only during Tet, but some families also eat this dish in their daily meals because of its rich and appealing flavor. You can also use pork belly in fish sauce to wrap vegetables or eat it with Banh Chung, sticky rice, etc.
The pork belly used for marinating in fish sauce is usually ba chi (pork belly with a layer of fat and a layer of lean meat), and the longer it is marinated, the firmer and more tender the meat becomes, absorbing the full flavor of the fish sauce. What’s special about this dish is that the “greasiness” of the fat in the pork belly seems to disappear into the fish sauce, leaving just the right amount of fat and tenderness, making it more and more addictive with every bite.
Tom Chua (Sour Shrimp)
Tom Chua
Let’s put aside the pork dishes for now and move on to a “famous” dish of Hue: Tom Chua. If you have the opportunity to spend Tet in Hue, you will surely get to taste this dish and also fall in love with its unique flavor.
Making Tom Chua is not too complicated. You just need to clean the shrimp, then marinate it with cooked and cooled fish sauce and other ingredients such as galangal, chili, and garlic.
After marinating and sun-drying for 5 to 7 days, the shrimp can be eaten. At this time, the shrimp will turn red, a color that symbolizes good luck. When eating, you will taste the chewy shrimp with a slightly sour, salty, spicy, and sweet flavor.
This rustic dish can be eaten with white rice, boiled dishes, or wrapped in vegetables. Whoever eats it will be addicted to its unique flavor!
You can learn more through the article Guide to Making Tom Chua.
Beef Shank Braised in Molasses
Beef Shank Braised in Molasses
Molasses has many health benefits and also makes the dish more visually appealing, reducing the amount of sugar entering the body. The dish has a spicy flavor from ginger and chili, the aroma of various spices, and the tender and fatty beef shank. It is like a must-have dish in the Tet meal of every family in the Central region.
Nem Chua (Vietnamese Fermented Pork)
Nem Chua
Nem Chua is a very suitable snack and can also be used as a Tet gift. Nem Chua is made from pork, dill leaves, garlic, chili, and pepper, creating an explosion of flavors when tasted. This dish effectively prevents greasiness during the Tet holidays.
You can learn more through the article Guide to Making Nem Chua.
Tre (Vietnamese Pork Head Cheese)
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