7 Days of Vietnamese New Year Traditions (Part 2)

This is a summary all of the do's and don'ts in Vietnamese New Year Traditions (both parts). Also, you can refer back to part 1 here.

Carry extra red envelopes in case you might have to give some to your friend's kids. You do not have to put a lot of money in there. It is just a symbol for good luck.
Offer New Year wishes to those you see if you feel like it and just want to wish them well.
Clean and decorate your house in red as it is a color for good luck.
Get rid of debts. Be free.
New clothes (a least an outfit for the first day)
Prepare the fruits necessary and clean the altar to welcome in the ancestors.
Be on your best behavior as it is believed this will be how you act for the rest of the year.
Accept any gift offered to you. Do NOT deny them.
Suggested gifts: new clothes, peach branches (or plant), rice (or rice wine), banh chung, banh tet, banh day, anything red, dogs (the barks sound like giau which means wealth and riches, not for eating them) , Dong Ho paintings (ones that wishes good luck)
Gamble with limits of course. Try out the kid games

Do not sweep the floor. If you do you are pretty much saying you want money to be flying out of the house. If you need to tidy up sweep it from the outside in and gather it into the trash but don't throw it away.
Do not throw away your trash until the third day. However this custom is changing so that you can throw out things after the first day.
Do not yell at anyone, cuss, or think bad thoughts. Do not do anything bad either.
Do not hurt people or animals.
Try not to give these gifts to people: clocks or watches (time flies by), cats (meow sounds like ngheo and that says you want them to be poor), medicine (as if you are hoping the recipient will become sick), cuttle fish or ink (it's black and that color is unlucky), scissors or knives (incompatibility).
Avoid wearing anything white since it associated with funerals.
Don't eat duck meat because it brings bad luck. Also, if you want shrimp do not have it in case since it symbolizes backwardness meaning you won't go forward and succeed.

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