In the United States, many people often think of Mar. 21 as the first day of spring, but for some Asian-Americans, this year’s Feb. 10 is the actual date. For senior Gina Nguyen, this day is also known as Vietnamese New Year, or Tết.
Nguyen lives in a multicultural family. Nguyen’s father is Vietnamese, and he is “very particular about his food,” she said. Nguyen’s American mother, who also loves Vietnamese food, became interested in Asian cultures after a college trip to Japan.

Tết is the most important holiday in Vietnam and celebrated on the first day of the lunar calendar. Along with dragon dances in which people dance under a dragon costume, “the food is the main thing with New Years,” Nguyen said. Around this time of year, the Vietnamese community often gather together at large parties. “It’s sort of a potluck-type deal,” she said.
A dish Nguyen looks forward to eating during this time of year is bánh lá, a rice cake wrapped in leaves. Bánh lá has several different varieties depending on its shape. On Tết, celebrators often make a square type called bánh chưng to symbolize the earth and a round type called bánh dày to symbolize the heavens.
Other favorite dishes are stir-frys, pork, Vietnamese pâté, banh mi sandwiches, phở noodle soup, and mooncakes. “Vietnamese food has Chinese influence and French influence, which is a historical thing,” Nguyen said. “Vietnamese [food] is the best food in the world. The main thing about it is that it’s always very colorful because Vietnam has very fertile land for vegetables to grow.”
Nguyen also loves Vietnamese food because of the versatility of its palate. “I think that’s why people like it so much; it’s not very strong or in-your-face,” Nguyen said. “People gravitate towards [the cuisine] because it’s very friendly.” The cuisine also varies between Northern and Southern regions of Vietnam, due to their different environments for growing food.
Although there are large Vietnamese restaurants in the Twin Cities area such as Mai Village on University Avenue, Nguyen and her family prefer smaller ones. “There’s this one lady who owns a restaurant that’s literally half the size of [the Library Classroom] but she makes the best phở soup and it’s amazing. I don’t even know if her restaurant has a name,” Nguyen said. Another favorite place to go is Ái Huê, which is found on Midway in St. Paul and has the best wonton soup, according to Nguyen.
In past years, her family would also go to Mystic Lake Casino to celebrate the Vietnamese New Year. “[They] used to host this big dragon dance that we used to always go to and eat their buffet.”
At home, her father usually cooks and the family typically eats Vietnamese food. “My favorite meals from [my dad] are usually soup,” Nguyen said. “Vietnamese soups are the best because you put this fish sauce in there called nước mắm. So good.” Nguyen also enjoys eating her father’s sweet tofu soup.
Vietnamese cuisine possess a different personal and cultural significance compared to that of American’s. “Each thing you eat is meant for something, like when I’m sick my dad always makes me congee soup,” Nguyen said. “I never wish I ate more American food because I have so much of that outside of my home.”
Although eating is a often a way for Vietnamese people to bond with friends and even strangers, there is usually not a lot of chit-chat. “…One thing that I think is really funny is when I’m with a bunch of Vietnamese people eating, no one ever talks while eating. Everyone is so consumed with their meal, which is culturally different than having a conversation over lunch,” Nguyen said. “Vietnamese people take eating together very seriously.”
For Nguyen, Tết has its own unique style when celebrated here in Minnesota with her family. “Celebrating New Years here is very different from celebrating it in Vietnam because we live in the Vietnamese-American community, and being Vietnamese-American is very different than being Vietnamese,” she said. One of the aspects of this is that her family never blends American food with Vietnamese food. “There are mixes in culture, but not food. That’s the one thing that stays the same.”