The year-end offering, or lễ cúng tất niên, is a significant ritual in Vietnamese culture, traditionally held on the final day of the lunar year.

This ceremony is a heartfelt tribute to ancestors, marking the close of the old year and welcoming the new one. It is also a time for families to gather and celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Essentials of the year-end offering

The year-end offering typically includes a well-prepared meal and essential ceremonial items such as fruits, betel leaves, incense, candles, flowers, rice, salt, alcohol, and tea.

Culinary artisan Pham Thi Anh Tuyet explains that the offering can feature either vegetarian or meat dishes, depending on family traditions and regional customs. While some families create lavish spreads, others opt for simpler meals, depending on their financial and time constraints.

The offering can take place indoors or outdoors, with distinct differences in presentation across Vietnam’s three main regions: the North, Central, and South.

Northern Vietnam

In northern Vietnam, the year-end feast highlights traditional dishes like red gac sticky rice, banh chung (square sticky rice cake), pickled onions, spring rolls, pork head terrine, boiled chicken, and jellied meat.

Jellied meat is a northern specialty, rarely found in other regions, and its clear, cold texture perfectly suits the winter climate.

Families often add complementary dishes such as stir-fried vegetables, bamboo shoot soup, and vermicelli with chicken gizzards.

Historically, Hanoi families prepared offerings based on a traditional standard of four bowls and four plates, symbolizing balance and harmony. Wealthier households expanded to six or even eight bowls and plates. Today, however, younger families adapt the offering to suit their modern lifestyles, simplifying preparations while maintaining the spirit of the ritual.

Central Vietnam

Central Vietnam’s year-end offering reflects the region’s culinary diversity and bold flavors.

Staple dishes include boiled chicken, sticky rice, sweet soup (chè), banh tet (cylindrical sticky rice cake), fermented shrimp with boiled pork, fried fish, spring rolls, and salads.

A notable feature of Central Vietnam’s offering is the inclusion of preserved or marinated meat, such as pork cured in fish sauce, which showcases the region’s resourcefulness and love for intense flavors.

Southern Vietnam

The southern year-end offering is distinguished by symbolic dishes such as braised pork belly with eggs and bitter melon soup stuffed with minced pork.

According to culinary artisan Anh Tuyet, these dishes carry deep cultural meanings. The round eggs and square pork pieces in braised pork represent a harmonious "round sky, square earth," symbolizing a fulfilling and prosperous new year.

Meanwhile, bitter melon soup signifies the passing of hardships (“khổ qua” means “hardship passes” in Vietnamese), offering hope for a brighter and more fortunate year ahead.

Southern offerings also feature shredded chicken salad, dried shrimp with pickled scallions, and an abundance of sweet treats like stuffed sticky rice cakes and candied fruits, reflecting the region’s agricultural richness.

Though the specific dishes and customs vary across regions, the year-end offering remains a deeply rooted cultural tradition, connecting families through shared memories, gratitude, and hopes for the future.

Ngoc Lai