Lunar New Year atmosphere in Southwestern Region

PANO – 28-year old photographer Tran Thu An, the gold medal winner at the 34th Mekong Delta Region Art Photography Festival in Hau Giang province in 2019, has left for a trip to capture the Lunar New Year Festival in the southwestern provinces of Soc Trang, Hau Giang, and Can Tho and the peaceful life of the people in these localities.

Tet welcoming customs of ethnic groups in border areas

Tet in olden days through the eyes of Vietnamese, French scholars

Traditional Tet of Kho Mu ethnic groups retraced on Hanoi’s outskirts

Below are some photos taken by photographer Tran Thu An during his trip to southwestern localities.

Seen from above, the Central Market of Soc Trang City looks stunning with big colorful umbrellas. The market is buoyant from early morning until afternoon and sells various kinds of goods, including fabric, fruit, food and household items.

A peaceful rural road running through coconut and banana fields in An Lac Thon township of Soc Trang province’s Ke Sach district.

Located in the center of Vi Thanh city, Vi Thanh market in Hau Giang province looks more colorful and busier on the Lunar New Year as people trade various kinds of fruits and vegetables.

People in Hau Giang province harvest Cau Duc pineapples which were named after Cau Duc Bridge which was built in the 1930s to connect Hau Giang and Kien Giang provinces. Cau Duc pineapples are a key agricultural product of Hau Giang province and are harvested yearly in February, March, July, and August.

On the Lunar New Year, each Vietnamese family chooses the finest betel and areca to solemnly place on their altar as offerings to their ancestors. This photo demonstrates the happiness of Mrs Ut, whose teeth are stained red from years of chewing betel quids. Mrs Ut is preparing betel and areca to offer to her ancestor.

Fierce rooster fights in Vi Thanh district, Hau Giang province always attract the attention of local people, especially children.

Don ca tai tu (folk music of southern people) is an indispensable part of the spiritual life of people in Hau Giang province. During the Lunar New Year festival, parties and Don ca tai tu music performances in the province usually gather to satisfy their singing passion. They also consider these events a good opportunity to share singing techniques and preserve and promote traditional cultural values.

Phong Dien floating market in Can Tho province is considered a special cultural feature of southern Vietnam. Before the Lunar New Year, the market is more bustling than usual as people come to buy pork, watermelon, and other kinds of fruit for the Lunar New Year holiday. Located 17km from central Can Tho City, the market is active from 4 to 8 a.m.

A local family in Phong Dien district of Can Tho province is making banh tet (round glutinous rice cake). For southern people, banh tet is not only a traditional food on the Lunar New Year, but also a special cultural practice of people in the region. On the 28th and the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, local people are busy preparing ingredients and making banh tet.

In recent years, due to their increasingly busy lives, most people in the region have no time to make banh tet for the Lunar New Year. In this photo, an old local person is making banh tet (round glutinous rice cake), a traditional cake enjoyed by the Vietnamese people on the occasion of the Lunar New Year.

A young woman in an Ao ba ba (traditional shirt of people in southwestern southwestern Vietnam) making pancakes, a traditional dish of southwestern people made from flour, prawn, mustard greens, lettuce, houttuynia, herbs, and star fruit.

Source: Vnexpress

Translated by Tran Hoai