Tet, the most important Festival for the Vietnamese, is also a wonderful opportunity for family members to meet. This custom has been kept over generations and no matter where they are or whatever the circumstances, the Vietnamese find ways to come back to see their loved ones, gather for a dinner and enjoy traditional foods together. Below are dishes considered to be indispensable in the traditional Tet festival:

Banh Chung/Banh Tet (Boiled rice and pork cakes) Banh Chung (called Banh Tet in the Southern) are steamed square cake made from glutinous rice, mung bean puree and seasoned pork. It's wrapped in banana leaves and are shaped square thought to symbolize the Earth. The roots of Banh Chung is told by the legend of Lang Liêu, a prince of the sixth Emperor Huong Vuong. Banh Chung is considered an essential element of the family altar during Tet. However it is also considered a year-round Vietnamese delicacy. The process of preparing banh chung is is a well-preserved tradition of Vietnamese people since it is an occasion for family members to gather together, sit around the warm fire while telling stories and exchanging best wishes.

Vietnamese Cold Cuts A convenient and popular food for the holiday, several varieties of Vietnamese cold cuts is showcased at Vietnamese markets or delis during the season. Gio Cha (Vietnamese ham/sausage) is the most common and is usually taken with Xoi (sticky rice) and Banh Chung. Other most sellable cold cute are the Gio Lua (basic silky sausage made from pork), Gio Ga (made from chicken), Gio Bo (made from beef), gio thu (headcheese), and cha mo (steamed pate of pork and lardons that's fried to a crisp in the end).

Pickles Hanh muoi (Pickled onions) are most sought during Tet as they are meant to help facilitate digestion of all the food binging during Tet. Most families make them instead of buying, and are prepared about two weeks before Tet. For those who do not have time to prepare them, they are often sold in plastic bins in the produce section of local markets.

Nuts and candied fruits Candied fruits are not normally eaten during meals but are considered Tet essentials since they are to be served to visitors. They are more like considered as snacks and are usually kept in beautiful boxes and placed on top of the living room table along with a bowl of watermelon seeds. Mut Tet (Tet jam) dried fruits and some kind of seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, watermelon seeds) is taken with bread and enjoyed over a cup of tea. Mut Tet can come in different varieties like ginger, carrot, coconut, pineapple, pumpkin, lotus seed, star fruit, and sweet potato.