We are approaching the sacred moment of transition—the moment of reunion for families, for the harmony of yin and yang in the universe, for ancestors and their descendants. Has your family already performed the ritual of inviting your ancestors home to celebrate Tết together? And if you belong to Gen Z, does the sound of firecrackers on New Year’s Eve—a memory that still stirs deep emotions in many older Vietnamese—feel unfamiliar to you?

We are delighted to present the next heartfelt letter in the Tết series, “The Last Images”, from Bán Nguyệt Tâm Thư Khố—a student-led podcast series supported by the Vietnam Studies Center.

In this episode, we invite you to join Dr. Phương Trân, an anthropologist currently working at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University, in reminiscing about the images and sounds of firecrackers from the past—memories lingering in the heart of a Hanoian.

Through this podcast, Bán Nguyệt Tâm Thư Khố sends echoes of once-familiar firecracker bursts to listeners near and far. Wishing you a crackling, vibrant start to the new year!