TET DAY

It sounded like a war zone last night. Over the last couple of days police have been guarding an area around Hoan Kiem Lake where fireworks were being set set up. They looked like small rocket launchers, and they sounded like it last night. The booms went on for about 15-20 minutes. I looked outside but couldn't see anything apart from a slight pinkishness to the sky when some of the booms occurred.


Downstairs on the groundfloor, the older man who is possibly the landlady's husband, was burning a small fire at the entrance into the little courtyard from the alleyway. I read somewhere the fireworks are to frighten away the evil spirits, and perhaps the little fire was to prevent them from entering this house in their haste to get away from the fireworks.

Yesterday I heard a gong struck three times at about 11 AM, in this building. This morning the gong was struck again three times at 8 AM and 11 AM. I have no idea what this is for.

Hopefully it's ok for me to go out now. I don't want to be blamed for some-one else's bad luck by being the first to crooss the thresh-hold of a house when I'm not a cat-person.

Pictures from the last couple of days are posted below: