Obsessed with leftover food after Tet

Before Tet, Ms. Thuy bought 8 kg of beef, 8 chickens of 3-4 kg each, 5 kg of seafood (shrimp, mantis shrimp, fish), 8 kg of various types of ham and fried spring rolls, and 15 banh chung, not to mention vegetables, tubers, and fruits. All of this was only enough to serve 9 people in the family because the family did not have the custom of preparing a feast to invite guests to celebrate Tet.

"Last year, my family only finished eating all the Tet food by the end of the second lunar month because we bought an extra half pig. This year, we bought less, so it will be mid-February," said Ms. Thuy, 50 years old, in Hai Phong.

The quantity has decreased but the food still fills 3 refrigerators. The remaining food will be sent to a neighbor's freezer.

After 8 days of Tet, the family has not finished eating 1/3 of the food they bought. Ms. Thuy's headache now is how to consume it all to free up space in the refrigerator.

All ham, sausage and cooked food are vacuum-packed and frozen, just need to be reheated when eating. 5 unoffered chickens, 6 kilos of beef, pork intestines, and ribs are divided into many small bags. Products such as eggs, milk, and fruits that are about to expire will be divided among people to "eat them quickly".

Thuy and her husband also asked their neighbors to come over to help, but they were all refused because every house had a lot of leftovers. More than 10 families in the neighborhood had to contribute chicken and pork to make jelly, pate or salad to change the menu.

"During Tet, I try to eat all the leftovers. Outside of Tet, I eat leftover food. Looking at the meat and fish on the table makes me sick," said Tung Duong, Thuy's son. There were times when the 17-year-old boy sneaked out of his family to eat out because he was haunted by leftovers from Tet.

Since December 23, Ms. Diem Hang, 52 years old, in Nghe An, has been buying food to fill 5 refrigerators. According to her mother-in-law, preparing many delicious dishes not only shows the prosperity and sufficiency of the homeowner but also shows the hospitality and diligence of the eldest daughter-in-law.

She ordered 20 kg of pork, 15 chickens, dozens of kg of beef, a few kg of pickled onions, dozens of kg of vegetables, not to mention banh tet, lean ham, and fried ham to serve for 5 days of Tet. All the food was packed into 4 refrigerators and a 500-liter freezer.

"If there's too much, we throw it away. If there's not enough, we don't know where to turn. If we leave the job unfinished, we'll be embarrassed in front of the customers," said Ms. Hang.

Minh Thu, 24, Hang’s daughter, likens her home to a miniature supermarket. Her mother’s habit of hoarding things makes it impossible for her to buy more ice cream or snacks because the entire refrigerator compartment is filled with meat, fish, and vegetables for Tet dishes.

After the holiday, Thu was haunted by the thought of having to bring 2-3 boxes of leftover food to Hanoi. Her mother also assigned her the task of finishing all the food for half a month so that the family could send more. Many times she had to invite friends over to eat because the refrigerator was full.

The situation of stockpiling food before Tet and struggling to deal with leftovers after Tet appears in many families. In a survey by reporters with the question "What is the situation of food stockpiling for Tet in your family?", 10% said their families stockpiled food to eat until the 15th day of the first lunar month, 41% said they stockpiled enough to eat during Tet holiday.

Associate Professor Dr. Pham Ngoc Trung, former Head of the Department of Culture and Development, Academy of Journalism and Communication, said that stockpiling food for Tet is a cultural trait of Vietnamese people, expressing the desire for abundance and fullness throughout the year.

In addition, Vietnamese people also have a precautionary mentality, worrying about food shortages on days when the market is not open. In some rural areas, where cultural customs are still important, they prepare a lot of food during Tet because when guests come to the house, the host will display a tray of rice and wine.

Associate Professor, Dr. Dinh Trong Thinh, an economic expert, said that the mentality of hoarding food may be appropriate in previous years when the supply was not abundant, many families were not near the market, and it was difficult to travel. Now, the food supply for Tet is very diverse, and prices are stable. In particular, traditional markets and supermarkets also open early to serve shopping needs, so people should stop hoarding too much.

"Hoarding food before Tet not only creates a burden of having to consume food but also causes some small traders to take advantage of the situation, raising prices of goods higher in the last days of the year, causing disruption to the market economy," said Mr. Thinh.

Drawing on years of experience eating leftovers throughout the first month of Tet 2025, Ms. Hong Nhung in Hanoi made a list of dishes to prepare and estimated the number of attendees. The 40-year-old woman said that on the first and third days of Tet, her family would welcome about 10 people, so she would need enough food to make two dishes each day. If there was more, she would buy more because the traditional market and supermarket would open from the second day.

The mother of two also noticed that goods were abundant, and food prices during Tet this year were not more expensive than before. Some items such as vegetables, fresh flowers and seafood were even 10-20% cheaper.

"Not only is it cheap, buying food by the day also helps my family eat fresh food instead of frozen food. Tet this year is different from Tet in the past, I only worry about not having enough money, not not having enough food," said Ms. Nhung.