by Sissy Mallard For the UNESCO Heritage Town of Hoi An, it’s all about the lanterns, from the cute floating ones to the impressive hanging ones, there isn’t a night when you can’t experience the colorful beauty of these little gifts to the gods that hopefully bring us fortune and love. While the biggest and best lantern festival of the year happens in February on the first full moon of the year after Tet, on the 14th day of each lunar month Hoi An comes alive as locals and tourists celebrate by lighting candles and floating lanterns down the Thu…

      Tet is the celebration of the Lunar New Year in Vietnam. It is a tradition passed down from Chinese culture, but the Vietnamese have their own style of doing things.  It’s the most important holiday of the year, and can be celebrated up to a whole month long. Companies have big Tet parties to celebrate and award their employees. (Check out ours from last year below!)   In 2016, Tet will celebrate the Year of the Monkey , beginning with Lunar New Year’s Eve on February 7th. Colorful lights, lanterns, and an abundance of fragrant flowers will line the…

-The Traditional Vietnamese Dress- Ao Dai's (pronounced like "Ow Zai" or if you're in the Quang Nam Province- "Ow Yai") are the traditional Vietnamese dress for women. If you've ever been to Vietnam, you've probably seen a lot of these traditional dresses, whether it was on locally made artwork, girls biking home from school, or even at your hotel reception desk. It consists of silk pants and a matching silk top that has long panels on the front and back.  -High School Uniforms- Girls are required to wear Ao Dai's once they go into High School- Year 10. I don't…

Bon Om Touk is an exciting celebration that occurs once a year in Cambodia. Bon Om Touk, also known as the Cambodian Water Festival, celebrates the reversal of the Tonle Sap River. The Tonle Sap River reverses twice a year, lining up with Cambodia’s rainy and dry seasons. When the water from the Mekong River flows into the Tonle Sap River, a large lake forms. This takes up a vast amount of land. When the river reverses however, there are silt deposits that enrich the soil for farming and the fish are abundant. Bon Om Touk occurs on different dates…

Every month in Hoi An, on the 14th day of the lunar calendar, Hoi An celebrates the full moon with locals placing offerings on their ancestral shrines and burning incense. Tomorrow will take at extra special significance as this is Tet Trung Thu (Mid Autumn Festival). Local kids form groups and perform incredible Lion Dances in elaborate costumes in the streets of Hoi An before and during the festival. These ‘lions’ will also go into shops and homes and start dancing as a blessing of luck and fortune. It is customary for locals to give ‘lucky money’. It is primarily a festival for…