Tết 2015 in Hanoi (the Year of the Goat)

A good luck wish for
the New Year
New Year decoration at
 a shopping mall in Hanoi

It has been six years since my last Tết (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) celebration in Hanoi as I often traveled in other cities of Vietnam and abroad during the holiday. This year we have a long holiday (9 days) so it is a good chance for our family reunion. I spent the week before Tết learning to drive a car. This was a new experience for me and I really enjoyed learning this new skill. I found a private instructor and he often arranged another learner going with me, so that we could share the cost. Our driving lesson lasted 5 hours every morning and it cost us USD 10 per hour. However, some days I drove by myself under instructor's guidance and we traveled over 130km on different roads. The week before Tết is always the busiest time of the year. The road is very crowded and the traffic is unorganized at times. On the first day of my driving lesson I had to drive on a busy highway. I still remember that day as I drove like a drunk, sometimes moving toward left side, sometimes toward right side. Every day we drove to a driving course outside Hanoi which is quiet comparing with other sites where 20 cars may practise at the same time. However, we only practised there for an hour then back on the road again.