Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Boston, MA
Boston’s Vietnamese community celebrates Tết with culture and tradition
Community
“This is one day a year where people in the Vietnamese community all gather together, and it’s a safe space for everyone.”
Hoi An lanterns hang sparsely throughout the venue. Dancers glide across the stage in silk tunics. Rows of Bánh Tét, Vietnamese rice cakes enjoyed during Lunar New Year, line display tables. And nearby, inflatable horses and a miniature stable invite children to pose for photos — fitting the Year of the Horse theme.
The Lunar New Year — known as Tết in Vietnam — is one of the most significant holidays across several Asian countries and among diaspora communities worldwide.
Organized by the Vietnamese American Community of Massachusetts and the New England Intercollegiate Vietnamese Student Association, Tết in Boston 2026 remains the region’s largest Vietnamese Lunar New Year festival. On Sunday, it filled the Menino Convention & Exhibition Center in South Boston, a space nearly the size of a football field, said Christina Trần, the festival’s decorations director.
For months leading up to the event, Trần and her decorations committee hosted weekend workshops to craft decorations and prepare the venue. The work, she said, created unique opportunities for connections.
“It has allowed a lot of people to come together, especially different generations,” she said, gesturing toward her decorations adviser, Khánh Bùi, who was born and raised in Vietnam.
Planning began last summer with selecting a new venue, said co-director Hannah Nguyen. Although the festival is held annually, this was its first year at the Menino Center.
In previous years, the smaller spaces required a two-day format, but the larger venue allowed organizers to consolidate into a single day and opened the festival to more attendees, Nguyen said.
“This is one day a year where people in the Vietnamese community all gather together, and it’s a safe space for everyone,” said co-director Linda Pham. “It’s not only people of Vietnamese descent; people who are from different ethnicities [and] cultural backgrounds come here, and everyone is able to celebrate as one.”
For attendees like Quang Vu Nguyen and his 2-year-old daughter, the festival offered a cultural connection.
“It’s more a culture show for our family,” he said. “Especially for my daughter growing up here, [it gives her] a taste of the culture of Vietnam back home.”
As a second-generation Vietnamese American whose parents immigrated to the United States, Nguyen said events like this are essential.
“You don’t get too many opportunities like this,” he said. “You could probably go a whole year and not go to any Vietnamese events, but I do think it’s important for [my daughter] to kind of see it, understand it, kind of just be immersed in it.”
Tết in Boston also showcased traditional Vietnamese arts.
Trang Tran, a Boston resident, ran a calligraphy booth with help from her daughter, Thien Nguyen, who translated for her mother. In Vietnam, calligraphers traditionally sit along busy streets during the New Year, writing personalized poems and wishes for passersby, Nguyen explained.
“Culturally, it’s really important,” Nguyen said, pointing to her mother at work. “There’s fun stuff here like games and food, but we need something for the culture and art of the Vietnamese people.”
Vivian Le, a Massachusetts resident, displayed and sold Ao Dài, the traditional Vietnamese dresses worn during holidays, weddings, and formal celebrations. Some were handmade, while others were shipped from her family in Vietnam, she said.
Le said she attends the festival each year to “bring out the culture” through traditional dresses. She said this year’s event felt more connected than in the past — thanks to the larger, single-floor venue.
“This year, we are all together, all in one floor,” she said. “I really like it this year because it’s bigger.”
Students also participated, including UMass Boston’s Vietnamese Student Association.
Hao Truong, a senior at UMass Boston and vice president of VSA, said members hosted games for children and sold merchandise during the festival.
The group aims to promote Vietnamese culture both on campus and in surrounding neighborhoods like Dorchester. Within the Dorchester neighborhood, Boston’s Little Saigon district serves as a cultural and commercial hub — home to roughly 75% of the city’s Vietnamese American population.
For Truong, the event was also personal.
“I think it’s a good way for everybody just to get together, especially for New Year’s, which is all about family and connection,” Truong said.
So you’re saying there’s a chance? Despite an abysmal start to the 2026 season, the Boston Red Sox remain in the mix for a playoff spot. At least according to FanGraphs, who gives the club a 27.1% chance of reaching the postseason.
Boston’s likely path to October means winning the wild card. FanGraphs gives the Red Sox a 26.1% chance of winning an American League wild card. The team currently sits threes games back of the third and final wild card, despite a record of 25-33.
Don’t look for a division title this year in Beantown. FanGraphs gives the Red Sox a 1% chance of winning the AL East. Which makes sense, since the team currently sits in last place, 11.5 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.
But SI’s Tom Verducci and Will Laws thinks Boston has a much tougher chance of making the playoffs. In their deep dive of the postseason, the pair came up with what they call the “Line of Doom.” According to their research, a team that starts “no better than 23–31 and your season is almost over only one-third of the way through the schedule.” Here’s why.
“In the wild card era (since 1995), only one team made the postseason starting with less than 22 wins in the first 54 games, the 2005 Astros (20–34). Of the 231 teams to start 23–31 or worse, only seven made the playoffs—once every 33 times,” Verducci and Laws note.
“Since the postseason field expanded in 2022, 31 teams began 23–31 or worse. Only one, the 2024 Mets (22–32), made the playoffs. That leaves such slow starters with a 1 in 31 chance—virtually the same as the larger sample size,” the pair add.
“The fact is one-third of the season does a good job separating pretenders from contenders. And as the calendar flips to June, understand that the playoff spots won’t change very much. In the four seasons with 12 playoff spots up for grabs, teams in playoff position when May ended kept a playoff spot 73% of the time—35 of 48 teams,” Verducci and Laws conclude.
So what does this have to do with the Red Sox, you ask? It’s Boston’s record after 54 games: 23-31. The “Line of Doom.”
More MLB: Red Sox Legend Backs ‘Worried’ John Henry
What should have been a quiet off-day for the Boston Red Sox has devolved into chaos.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was the subject of a profile article in The Boston Globe that didn’t paint a sunny picture of his tenure, including a tough nugget about his relationship with legend Theo Epstein. But Breslow’s harshest critic of the day was probably the father of one of his ex-players.
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Hunter Dobbins made his second major league appearance on Sunday since being traded from the Red Sox in the deal that brought Willson Contreras to Boston. After Dobbins pitched well and featured his sinker more than expected, his father Lance Dobbins took to social media to excoriate the Red Sox and Breslow.
Lance Dobbins’ latest comments harsher than the first
We covered Lance Dobbins’ initial comments from late Sunday night that seemed to be directed at the Red Sox organization already on Boston Red Sox On SI. But on Monday evening, the elder Dobbins reentered the fray to absolve pitching coach Andrew Bailey of any blame, effectively throwing Breslow under the bus.
When asked if Breslow replacing Chaim Bloom as chief baseball officer led to Hunter throwing less sinkers and fewer four-seam fastballs in the Red Sox organization, Lance responded with this:
Yes! In Bailey’s defense he wanted the addition, but people behind computers make those decisions. The coaching staff is literally working with one hand tied behind their backs. Driveline is the answer to everything, but winning games! Ask yourself, why are so many of our guys…
— Lance Dobbins (@lpdobbins) June 1, 2026
“Yes! In Bailey’s defense he wanted the addition, but people behind computers make those decisions. The coaching staff is literally working with one hand tied behind their backs. Driveline is the answer to everything, but winning games!
“Ask yourself, why are so many of our guys always injured (pitchers and position players), it’s not by pure bad luck. Pitchers are having constant issues and hitters are always hurting hands and wrist. It’s not a league wide problem. It has to be fixed or we’ll never win because half of our starters will always be on the IL.”
That last point has to hit home for the Red Sox because star outfielder Roman Anthony (who debuted in the majors a couple of months after Hunter Dobbins) has now had two long-lasting injuries that occurred on swings — an oblique strain in September that ended his season prematurely, and a partially torn finger ligament that has held him out of action since May 4, with no end in sight.
Monday just wasn’t a good day in the public relations department for the Red Sox front office, or for Breslow in particular. But it’s worth noting that Dobbins has only made two appearances in a Cardinals uniform, allowing four earned runs in eight innings, taking a loss and earning a save.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
Scenic Six
Seasonal train rides, Bristol’s historic Fourth of July celebration, Duck Tour discounts, and more.
You’re reading Scenic Six, Boston.com’s guide to New England travel. Sign up to get hidden gems, travel tips, and must-visit spots in your inbox every week.
Welcome back to Scenic Six.
I hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend. We visited friends in Wells, Maine and then explored nearby Ogunquit (recently named the best beach town in New England by Boston.com readers). Though the weather wasn’t the best, outdoor dining was still hopping and the streets were full of people. It’s always a good vibe in Ogunquit.
This week, I’m writing about two New England towns named among the most welcoming in America, a first-of-its-kind remote terminal for Logan Airport, the oldest continuous 4th of July celebration in the nation, Boston Duck Tour discounts, and more.
These New England towns roll out the welcome mat
If you’re looking for a happy getaway, two New England towns were just named on a World Atlas list of 12 of the most welcoming towns in America: Bar Harbor, Maine and Burlington, Vermont. Both are hosting free festivals and other community events this summer, adding even more reasons for a Maine or Vermont escape this season.
Need a ride? Consider a seasonal train
I’m a big fan of train travel because it’s relaxing and stress free. The CapeFlyer between Boston and Cape Cod resumed this past weekend and the Berkshire Flyer between the Berkshires and New York City starts back up on June 12 (with expanded service).
Attend the oldest continuous 4th of July celebration in America
Believe it or not, Independence Day is just around the corner and one of the best celebrations in America is in Bristol, R.I., according to USA Today. The publication just named the Bristol Fourth of July Celebration among the best 4th of July celebrations in the nation (fun fact: this will be its 241st year).
Travel tips:
- Logan Airport passengers flying JetBlue and Delta Air Lines can soon skip airport security lines and go straight to their gate by using a first-of-its-kind remote terminal in Framingham, opening June 1.
- Celebrate America’s 250th birthday at Weir Farm National Historical Park in Ridgefield, Conn., the only national park dedicated to American painting, on June 14 (Flag Day) by attending the free event Art is Revolutionary. Guests will enjoy live music, plein air demonstrations, open house tours, refreshments, and art making activities.
Deals and steals:
Note: Scenic Six arrives in inboxes Tuesdays at noon. If these deals are reaching you too late, sign up now to be the first in the know.
- Celebrate the 140th anniversary of Basin Harbor Resort & Boat Club in Vergennes, Vermont by booking the Summer Starts Early package, which takes 25% off weekdays and 10% off weekends on three-night stays taking place through June 18.
- Taking a Boston Duck Tour? Save up to $10 per ticket on tours departing before 10 a.m. by using the discount code EARLYDUCK. The discount is valid for online purchases only.
- Traveling by train? Save up to 60% off eight tickets on Amtrak when booking Amtrak Share Fares by using the code V291 on the Amtrak app. A two-day advance purchase is required.
I’ll leave you with this photo I took of the sunrise in Wells, Maine.
Where have you traveled lately? Please share your photos by sending them to [email protected] and they may be featured in an upcoming Scenic Six newsletter.
Whether you’re traveling this week or planning your next escape, enjoy the journey.
— Kristi
Sign up for Scenic Six
Navigate the endless possibilities of New England travel with Boston.com.
-
Los Angeles, Ca1 hour ago2 women killed after being struck by BMW in Orange County intersection
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoAfter 12 years in downtown Detroit, Wright & Company calls it quits
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoSan Francisco voters to decide on dueling measures on Top Executive Pay Tax changes
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoDallas Cowboys’ Path To NFC East Crown Gets Easier After June 1 NFL Trade Frenzy
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoDevelopers pay off $115M in Miami construction loans as condos near sellout
-
Videos2 hours agoThe AI backlash: Why Gen Z is pushing back | The Global Story
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoUpdating Red Sox’s Playoff Chances: Numbers Never Lie | NESN
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoDenver City Council approves $15.5 million tax break for Rossonian Hotel development
