As Tet (Lunar New Year) is a special time for family reunion of the Vietnamese, many shops and restaurants are close in HCMC. But those who stay in the city at Tet can still find some places to come for food and drinks.

A view of Ru Nam Bistro coffee shop.

For those who prefer foreign cuisine in the city, there are many restaurants specializing in Thai, Japanese, Korean and Western dishes.

Japanese people have a tradition of eating noodle soups in the new year as they believe that the longer the noodle is, the luckier they will be in the new year. In addition, they believe that savoring dishes made from rice and buckwheat at the start of the new year can bring success to them.

Goku Raku Ramen at 241 Ly Tu Trong Street in District 1 can satisfy the appetite of ramen lovers.

Topping Beef at 16L Le Ngo Cat Street in District 3 is a venue for steak. Many diners have rated this restaurant as one of the best places to have steak in town.

Those who want sour and spicy dishes can visit Lac Th ai at 71/2 Mac Th i Buoi Street which serves Th ai specialties.

There, diners should not miss its signature dish: stir-fried crispy catfi sh with green mango.

Other restaurants serving foreign food are Au Parc at 23 Han Thuyen Street, Chanh Bistro Rooftop at 43- 45 Ho Tung Mau Street in District 1, Dimsum House at 164 Le Lai Street, District 1, Ga Com Nuong at R3-85 Hung Phuoc 3 Street, District 7, and Com tron 2 co at 294/28 Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Street.

Diners who love Vietnamese food should come to Bui – Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine at 17A Ngo Van Nam Street in District 1 to enjoy the true taste of Vietnamese dishes in a Vietnamese atmosphere or Trinh restaurant at 41/5 Pham Ngoc Thach Street in District 3 for Hue food.

If diners want to enjoy food from a different perspective, they should give Saigon Boat Tours at 8A/10B1 Thai Van Lung Street, District 1 a try as they have dinner while cruising along the Saigon River for two hours starting from 6 p.m.

Several vegetarian eateries, including Ba La restaurant at 32 Cao Ba Nha Street, District 1, are good for people who want to avoid energy- dense Tet dishes.

Regarding coffee shops, Ru Nam Bistro at 202 Pasteur Street in District 3, Boo Coffee at 42 Nguyen Hue Boulevard, Pencil Coffee at 15 Pasteur in District 1, Lac Dinh Tea House at 6 Cong Truong Quoc Te Square in District 3 are some places recommended for those wishing to have drinks with family and friends in the lunar new year.