Having spent more than 18 years in Vietnam in 4 different places, I’m supposed to know everything, or the basics at least, about the country, the cultures and the people here. I thought that I did! But my whole confidence was turned upside down when I talked to my Malaysian friends the day before my trip back to Vietnam.

David: “Are you interviewing anyone famous in Vietnam this time? Bobby Chinn?”

Chip: “Who is Bobby Chinn?”

Annie: “Jesus are you Vietnamese? He’s a celebrity chef. People fly all the way from Singapore, Malaysia to Vietnam just to eat at his restaurant.”

David: “It’s near St. Joseph Cathedral.”

Chip: “Where’s St. Joseph Cathedral.”

David + Annie: @#$%^&*()

A somewhat similar conversation took place last Sunday when I just came back to Vietnam. My Mom called me to ask if I could come back for the festival, and my first question “What festival?” almost gave her a heart attack. It turned out that I don’t know about Vietnam as much as I think I do. The festival she mentioned is one of the biggest festivals in Vietnam, second only to Tet Holiday (or Lunar New year or Chinese New year). However, it remains as one of the most unknown festivals to tourists as it’s not a public holiday and people don’t celebrate it outside of their houses. As it follows lunar calendar and our generation no longer keeps track of it (blame phones, computers and all western digital devices that don’t take into account the lunar calendar), we normally don’t know when it is, or simply forget about it. Hey friends, let me introduce you to Tet Doan Ngo (also known as Tet giet sau bo – “Killing inner insects Festival or Duanwu Festival in China) – celebrated every year on the 5th of the 5th lunar month. This year it fell on Jun 16. “The name “Tet sau bo” derives from the fact that farmers, on this day, get rid of all pests to start growing their crops for the new season. Therefore, creatures and people must become stronger in both their health and their souls to overcome this.” (Vietnam-beauty.com) It used to be my favorite festival as it’s the only chance when I could eat as much “rượu cái” (fermented sticky) as I wish to.

My memory of the festival traces back to early mornings on the day of festival, when my Mom squeezed a sour plum inside my mouth before I could wake up or wash my face.

“Eat it! It will kill all insects inside your body.”, said my Mom to my sleepy bum still lying on bed. The “eating the plum” ceremony must be done without any notice in advance, and before the body has time to do anything. In our belief, it will help cleaning the digest system. Until now I’m still pondering upon a question: my Mom was always the one who did that to us, then who did it to my Mom?

Over the course of the day, we will eat a lot of plums. Another indispensable dish is “rượu cái” or “cơm rượu” or fermented sticky rice in English.

In Vietnam, we have a special wine made of sticky rice. Few days before Tet Doan Ngo, my grandfather used to make sticky rice, lay it on a big “nia” – a large & flat basket and put ferment on it. The compound of sticky rice and ferment would then be kept inside a big vacuum jar since oxygen can spoil the rice. After 2-3 days, we have “rượu cái” which consists of both liquid and rice. After exactly 100 days, this compound would be filtered and the liquid is called “Ruou bach nhat” - literally translated as “100 day wine”. The wine is also called “women’s wine” since it’s sweet and not very strong. The distiller’s grains is then used to feed livestock. In the Central and the South, people also eat “banh u” which is similar to zongzi in China. “Banh u is pyramidal sticky rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves. They are often stuffed with beans and banana leaves’ essence, creating its dominant flavor.” (Vietnam-beauty.com)

On the day of Tet Doan Ngo, the whole family will have to gather and have lunch. Things can get complicated as a family usually have both parental & maternal side. Usually a small family has to split to join both sides. My Mom’s Dad passed away and my Mom’s Mom was on a trip, so we celebrated with the grandparents on my Dad’s side. It’s always fun to meet people. However, the big lunch used to be a nightmare for me since normally I was the only one to wash all the dishes. Imagine washing dishes for 40 people!

A lot of things have changed since the day I left 5 years ago. I’m growing up and my parents as well as my grandparents are getting old. My Mom no longer squeezes a plum inside my mouth in the morning. My grandfather can no longer make “rượu cái” (we buy from outside instead). I no longer have to wash all dishes by myself. However, I know that everything else would still be the same as long as my grandparents are still there to take care of. But for how long? I don’t know. Even though it’s the second most significant festival in my home country, if my Mom didn’t remind me, I wouldn’t remember. Would my generation would still be able to celebrate it, when it’s not even a public holiday?

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P/S

1. Bobby Chinn is more famous outside Vietnam because food at his restaurant is too expensive. One main dish can cost you $30/pax.

2. Even though St. Joseph Cathedral is one of the most famous churches in Vietnam, we Vietnamese know it by its Vietnamese name “Nha tho Lon” (Big Church) rather than its English name. That’s why I was totally dumbfounded when my friends mentioned the English name.

Tags: Bobby Chinn, Duanwu Festival, Holiday, Tet Doan Ngo, Tradition, Vietnam