Posing for Tet
I’ve done lots of posts in the past about the more obvious parts of Tet in Hanoi – namely the Peach branches and Kumquat trees which wizz about on motorbikes en route to their final destination in town – see here and here as well as the dramatic releasing of goldfish – part of the Kitchen Gods ceremony here. Below are some pictures from the flower market this year.
But another side of Tet is the dramatic posing for photographs in the flower fields along the banks of the Red River. When we first arrived in Hanoi people tended to take photos in the fields themselves but clearly some enterprising people decided to create special flower gardens designed specifically for posing and introduce an entrance fee. These gardens have exploded in the last couple of years and there are now many on the banks of the Red River all packed with young Vietnamese who don’t seem to have a care in the world while their poor mothers are probably running around like mad trying to prepare for Tet! Below are some photos taken at one of the gardens which is full of fake and real flowers – the entrance fee is a reasonable 25,000 dong or just over a dollar.
Bored boyfriends abound who have also been encouraged to dress up in traditional dress and wait while their girlfriends have their hair and make up done.
Some of the young children were hamming it up and loving it, while others were on the verge of a tantrum…
And of course there are props as well as costumes – fake pianos, real dogs, blue wigs etc.
We couldn’t just take pictures of other people so we did a bit of posing ourselves.
Downtown the streetlights and decorations are all up and ready for the year of the goat! My son likes to stare up at the lights in awe with his mouth wide open – he clearly thinks they’re the best thing he’s ever seen – but then he hasn’t seen much yet!
Great post. Liked the photos, especially the photo-shoot gardens. You really have soaked up the culture in Hanoi. All the best. Alison
That is so funny and so Asian. I love how Asian people will be near a stunning waterfall or temple, and yet they are taking photos of themselves over in the trees. They are my favorite people.