.. Tet, the Vietnamese new year around February, when the whole country comes to a standstill. All expats go out travelling, and all locals head back to their provinces to ring in the new year with their families. All the “Chúc mừng Năm mới” (happy new year) signs from 31 December stay on, the peach blossoms start sprouting all over the place, and the Abba song, ‘happy new year’ is played repeatedly in cafes, malls, cabs, just about any place you hang out, outside home. I’ve never stayed in Vietnam for Tet, but the buildup to the festival is much more fun.