VIETNAMESE OVERSEAS
Tet means something different to everyone; it could be the smell of kitchen smoke next to a pot of "Banh Chung" on the 30th day of Tet or the branches of peach blossoms and kumquat trees carrying the breath of coming spring.
Tet is an occasion for all family members to gather together warmly and happily. But how should people in other countries celebrate the traditional Tet holiday?
Without long vacations and days off, Vietnamese expatriates' Tet meals include traditional dishes such as "Banh Chung," fried spring rolls, pickled onions... The image of Tet in the homeland is like an idyllic film in the memories of Vietnamese people in foreign lands.
Foreign students enjoy making Chung cakes on Tet Photo: Phuong Thao
The Vietnamese Embassy in the Netherlands organized the "Spring Homeland" program to celebrate the Year of the Cat 2023, with the participation of nearly 500 overseas Vietnamese and overseas students. In particular, this year's program also has the participation of Dutch friends who love Vietnam and ambassadors of ASEAN countries in the Netherlands.
Pham Viet Anh, Vietnamese Ambassador in the Netherlands, briefly reviewed Vietnam's socioeconomic development achievements in 2022 in the joy of meeting again after two years of the pandemic. The ambassador also wished the community, guests, and friends a happy New Year of the Cat 2023.
The highlight of this year's "Spring Homeland" is the cooperation and contribution of people with cultural performances and ethnic foods. The letters and arts program was very interesting, with many special performances performed by actors from the Vietnamese Cultural House as well as "impromptu" performances by the local people, adding to the warmth of the community when celebrating Tet away from home.
In harmony with the traditional Tet atmosphere of the nation, the Vietnamese Embassy in the Kingdom of Cambodia also held the Community Tet, "Meet the Homeland Spring of the Year of the Cat 2023," at the Embassy's headquarters in Phnom Penh.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Nguyen Huy Tang informed overseas Vietnamese about the economic and social situation of Vietnam, as well as outstanding developments in the cooperation relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia in 2022. The ambassador emphasized that 2022 is the "Vietnam-Cambodia, Cambodia-Vietnam Solidarity and Friendship Year", the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The ambassador said that in 2023, we need to actively seize opportunities, overcome challenges, and work closely with domestic agencies at all levels and sectors of Cambodia to continue promoting cooperation between the two countries. In particular, special attention is paid to promoting and improving the efficiency of cooperation in the economic field, creating new driving forces for the two countries' relationship. The economy must become a resource to ensure the solid development of "good neighborly relationships, traditional friendship, comprehensive, and long-term sustainable cooperation" between Vietnam and Cambodia.
In the cozy traditional Tet atmosphere, many expatriates, especially those who have lived in Cambodia for a long time, could not hide their emotions when attending the Community Tet, "Meet the Homeland Spring of the Year of the Cat 2023."
Dr. Le Ba Hung, Director of MED 115 Hospital, shared: "We are all very emotional when participating in this program. We are Vietnamese living abroad, but our hearts are always fixed on the homeland, and we always want our country to become stronger, more prosperous, and more developed. Furthermore, we also wish for the Vietnam-Cambodia relationship to become more sustainable and to develop".
In harmony with the atmosphere of the traditional Tet, the guests and those present together enjoyed traditional Vietnamese dishes such as "Banh Chung," fried spring rolls, lean pork pie, pickled scallion heads ... along with musical performances praising the Party, Uncle Ho and the spring of the homeland.
In Belgium, in the days leading up to the Lunar New Year of the Cat 2023, Vietnamese food shops are always crowded with customers, mainly overseas Vietnamese.
Ms. Doan Vinh, originally from Hue, has lived in Belgium for 51 years, often making steamed momordica sweet rice and some Hue dishes for her children and grandchildren to come and celebrate during Tet.
This year, Tet falls on the weekend, so families do a lot of shopping. My Hanh, owner of Tinie's food store in Brussels, said that in order to serve people, the store imports a variety of Tet goods, such as "dong" leaves, dried candied fruit, rice paper, rice noodles, pho, wood-ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and fruits such as mangos and custard apple, and indispensable are "Banh Chung," "Banh Tet," lean pork pie, and Phu Quoc fish sauce.
Together with more than 5.3 million Vietnamese expatriates around the world, the Vietnamese people in Belgium wish everyone a peaceful New Year of the Cat.
In the US, the Tet shopping atmosphere at some Vietnamese markets in San Jose (California, USA) is quite crowded. They sell all kinds of traditional hometown dishes such as "Banh Chung", "Banh Tet", candies, vegetable pickles, beef jerky, dried squid, etc., attracting a large number of Vietnamese people to shop. Many families also spend time making "Banh Chung," lean pork pie, dried candied fruit, etc.
No matter what conditions they live in during Tet, the Vietnamese community in countries around the world still keep their hearts fixed on the Fatherland. Tet is like the rope connecting Vietnam with overseas Vietnamese around the world. No matter where Vietnamese people are, they will always remember their ethnic roots. Images of peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, "Banh Chung," and "Banh Tet" are still deeply imprinted in the mind of every overseas Vietnamese.
Nguyen Hien