We are now several weeks into the auspicious Year of Dragon, yet for some, namely employers, the after-Tet experience can be far from fun. That is never truer than for busy working mothers with families to take care of who find that their maids have decided not to return after Tet... and receiving their annual bonus.

Rice wine and beer have become an indispensable part of Tet. And drink driving, particularly among younger members of society, is a regular occurrence, all too often with tragic consequences.

I hope you have a baby in the Year of the Dragon!" my recently married friends said they'd been told numerous times over Tet by well-meaning friends and relatives.

The 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, which fell yesterday this year, is a special day in Viet Nam. On this day, Tao Quan, also known as the trinity of Kitchen Gods, who lives by the hearth of every home, reports back to Ngoc Hoang, the Jade Emperor – the supreme divinity of the Taoist Heaven – on the goings on of every family. The nice are rewarded with food, spices, money and clothing – the naughty get nothing.

Motorbike drivers, especially in the northern part of the country, are an uneasy lot these days. Every few days or weeks, a bike seems to catch fire for no known reason. While the mystery rages, some peace of mind is on offer courtesy a motorcycle repair shop on Thai Ha Street in Ha Noi.