2026 Lunar New Year sundries sale starts~

In Vietnam, for the first time this year, New Year's became a four-day holiday. It was decided suddenly by the government, and the announcement came all at once in mid-December, so it was quite a scramble. But this is Vietnam — that's just the kind of country it is. That said, when it comes to the truly important holiday, it's basically the Lunar New Year. It's Vietnam's biggest event, when people return to their hometowns to spend time with their families. Since it follows the lunar calendar, the dates shift every year, and this year, according to the government's decision, it has been set for February 14th (Saturday) through the 22nd (Sunday) — a nine-day holiday. And so, even though it's still a whole month away, decorations for the Lunar New Year are starting to pop up here and there. If you go to the market, in front of shops that usually sell things like seasonings, a bright bright red decoration corner has suddenly appeared, big as can be.

At the general store on the street, once Christmas has passed, the displays are gradually being swapped out for Lunar New Year decorations and ornaments. From large ornaments that hang on windows and doors to small ornaments that hang on the trees,

And various New Year's money envelopes for the whole family are also lined up

Thinking "there's still plenty left, so it's fine," I found that the popular ones sell out day by day. Having missed out on buying otoshidama envelopes last year, I make sure to look early, early — while there's still a selection to choose from. This year we moved offices, our staff has grown, and I wanted to give things a lift, so I went and hand-picked otoshidama envelopes with a "horse" theme. I'm a Vietnam kid who loves anything flashy, no matter what. Hoping it gives our designers a bit of inspiration too...

The background is a hologram, all sparkly~ The horses are done in embossing, making it a three-dimensional otoshidama envelope. So cool~~~

Oh, these designs are all different! The Vietnamese one comes as a set of 6. 【Price Information, as of January 2026: Pochibukuro (New Year money envelopes)】 ＊Hologram pochibukuro (pack of 6): 25,000 VND = about 150 yen ＊Regular print pochibukuro (with a gold horse illustration, pack of 6): 10,000 VND = about 60 yen 　The tall size and the small size are both 10,000 VND.

Not just the staff (my mom, or my girlfriend), but also the Vietnamese friends who look after us day to day, the apartment manager, the parking lot uncle, the young man at the cleaner's, the delivery guys... and so on — I'm getting things ready for all of them. The ornaments are so cute that I'm thinking of putting one on my motorbike~ (as a good-luck charm), so I'm picking some out.

【Price Info, dated January 2026: Lunar New Year decorations — assorted ornaments about 10cm in size】 From left: ＊Golden lucky bag, wishing for good fortune and blessings, maybe? Around 5000 VND = about 30 yen ＊For prosperous business, striking it rich, a booming crowd of customers, and so on? …The wealth-boosting type (carp leaping up the waterfall) Around 6000 VND = about 36 yen ＊For wishes coming true, good fortune and blessings, perhaps? The wish-granting type (carp leaping up the waterfall) Around 6000 VND = about 36 yen ＊Peace, prosperity, and health (lion) Around 8000 VND = about 48 yen ＊Brings treasure and good fortune (Daikoku-sama?) Around 8000 VND = about 48 yen And there are lots and lots of other kinds too. It's fun just to look at them~ They're cheap, so you can't help but want to buy them.

I think it would make a nice souvenir for people who come sightseeing right around this time of year~ The town becomes lively and it puts you in a fun, cheerful mood~ Relocation Life Ranking