But over 90 percent of respondents said gathering andcooking collectively was a tradition that they were starting to miss,according to the first ever survey on people's opinions about Lunar NewYear or Tet, the longest and most important annual festival in Vietnam.

While the survey found an overwhelming love for the nation'straditions, interestingly it also found that many respondents saw theincreasing commercialisation of the holiday eroding some of thetraditions that it held most sacred.

Almost half mentioned that the tradition of visiting teachers was starting to fall by the wayside.

"There are many traditions practised during Tet holidays in Vietnam,but today's modern lifestyle sees some of these activities beginning tofade from the Tet agenda," research director Tran Lien Phuong said.

"However, it is reassuring to see that so many people recognise this,and cite it as something that really deserves to be preserved.

"It proves that these traditions are an integral part of the colorful and festive atmosphere of Tet.

"Predictably enough, one of the most popular suggested changes was more days off. Everyone loves public holidays."

Around 27 percent indicated that they would be taking the time to travel.

Four out of five of these said they would be vacationing at home, withNha Trang (46 percent) and Da Lat (44 percent) being the two topdestinations among the surveyed.

The remaining 20 percent ofrespondents indicated they would be heading abroad, including 7 percentwho said they would be travelling both internationally and domestically.

The top international destinations were Singapore (59 percent), Thailand (38 percent), and Hong Kong (31 percent).

"This will be a fascinating matrix to watch over the coming years," Phuong said.

"Intuitively, I would suspect that it is a number that will continueto grow, and suspect that preferred destinations will continue to getfurther and further from home.

"However, it raises acounter-question about the preservation of the familial Tet values thatrespondents also indicated that they would like to preserve if anincreasing number of people here choose to eschew the traditional tripto their hometowns and head away to visit new lands."

Tet iswidely recognised as the nation's busiest shopping time, and Epinion'sfindings mirrored this, with electrical and electronic products sittingatop the most-wanted lists of consumers.

When it came to thepurchase of food, the recent publicity surrounding food safety seemed tohave spooked consumers, with almost half of the surveyed indicatingthat it was their top concern as they sought to fill the familial belly.

Other findings from the survey showed that up to 90 percent ofrespondents said that rice cakes, stewed pork, Vietnamese sausages, andother traditional dishes are must-have items for Tet feasts.

ꦕ The online survey of over 1,000 individuals spanned all socio-economic classes across the country.-VNA