Overseas Vietnamese join Tết celebrations around the world

Vietnamese people join the event “Wrapping green chưng cake, welcome spring as you wish” on Sunday afternoon in Brussels, Belgium. — VNA/VNS Photo Hương Giang

HÀ NỘI — Thu Hằng, who has lived in Brussels, Belgium for 13 years, is enthusiastically helping Belgian-Vietnamese children and Belgian people to wrap chưng (square sticky rice) cake to celebrate Tết (Lunar New Year) of Vietnamese people. 

Hằng showed the children and the participants on how to arrange dong (Phrynium placentarium) leaves, how to put rice, toss mung beans, tie it with bamboo strings, and wrap the cake tight and square, so when boiled it would not fall apart.

Hằng and thousand Vietnamese overseas have joined the atmosphere of welcoming Tết of Vietnamese people around the world. Tết is one of the most important traditional festivals of Vietnamese people.

On Sunday afternoon, at the headquarters of the Vietnamese Embassy in Belgium, the General Association of Vietnamese people in Belgium organised the event “Wrapping green chưng cake, welcoming spring as you wish”. The event had introduced to young people and Belgian friends how to wrap a traditional chưng cake, an indispensable speciality of the Vietnamese people’s traditional Tết holidays.

Johana Mai Anh, a Belgian-Vietnamese girl, said she came to the event with her mother. She was very happy to learn how to wrap chưng cake, a dish that she really loved.

“At first, I found it difficult, but with dedicated guidance, I can wrap my own cake,” she added.

Tâm Anh, mother of Johana Mai Anh, said that her children were of Belgian-Vietnamese descent, so she wanted them to better understand the Tết culture of their motherland.

“I want my children to know how to prepare for Tết, and to be clearly aware of the culture and language of their homeland,” she said.

Antonio Đức Anh, 12 years old, was shy but still practiced wrapping chưng cake at the event. Under the guidance of Hằng, he finally completed his little chưng cake with the joy of both his mother and him.

Thảo Linh, his mother, said Antonio understood little Vietnamese. Thus, she often took him to Vietnamese community activities so that he can get acquainted with friends and be motivated to learn Vietnamese.

Dennis Laureys and Christophe Standaert, both with a Vietnamese girlfriend, said that was the first time they witnessed the preparations for Tết.

Dennis said he visited Việt Nam many times, but never came during Tết and never witness how Vietnamese people prepare for Tết.

“This is a precious opportunity for me,” he said.

Wrapping chưng cake gave him and other foreigners who loved Việt Nam an opportunity to better understand the Vietnamese community, he said.

The event is held to mark the launch of the Women’s Committee of the General Association of Vietnamese people in Belgium.

This is also the first time the meaningful activity has been organised to help overseas Vietnamese to become more attached and together celebrate the Tết happily and warmly.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium, Nguyễn Văn Thảo highly appreciated the initiative of the association to help the younger generation learn more about the national culture, especially Tết.

That was a way for the Vietnamese community abroad to contribute to not only preserving and promoting traditional values but also better understanding the meaning of chưng cake during Tết in the homeland, he said.

Huỳnh Công Mỹ, Chairman of the General Association of Vietnamese people in Belgium, said the association was established in October 2013.

The association’s Board of Directors and its members always united with a single goal of building the Vietnamese community in Belgium stronger, although the association’s development met many difficulties and challenges over the past decade, he said.

The association had reached 250 members including students, civil servants and businessmen. That was a big advantage for the association to develop its future activities.

The organisation of Tết activities had strong meaning for Vietnamese people in Belgium and neighbouring countries.

At this annual activity attracting large numbers of overseas Vietnamese to attend, the association often invited Vietnamese artists to perform for overseas Vietnamese with strong support from the Vietnamese Embassy in Belgium and the Committee for Vietnamese Overseas.

That was also an opportunity for the overseas Vietnamese community to come together and enjoy traditional dishes of the nation. The number of participants in the annual event was about 400 – 600 people.

On the second day of Tết (February 11), the association planned to organise the event “Welcoming Tết 2024 with the General Association of Vietnamese people in Belgium”. The event would feature performances by singers and musicians widely admired by people from Belgium, France and the Netherlands.

Another special feature was the programme of “Singing for each other” and the dancing programme that were expected to make the event more fascinating than previous years.

“We hope that with the performances and innovations, Tết-celebrating activities will be more interesting and attract more overseas Vietnamese,” he said.

Vietnamese people celebrate Tết at the City Hall of Paris, France. — VNA/VNS Photo Ngọc Hiệp

The Vietnamese Embassy in France held an event to celebrate the traditional Tết with the enthusiastic support of the Paris government on Friday night at the City Hall of Paris, France.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to France Đinh Toàn Thắng said that Tết was a sacred moment for every Vietnamese person, an occasion to reunite with family and relatives.

He thanked the overseas Vietnamese in France for their positive contributions to the community and country in recent years. He also sent wishes of health, success and prosperity to the entire Vietnamese community in France as well as French friends.

He said that the year of 2023 passed with many effective achievements, marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 10 years of strategic partnership between Việt Nam and France.

He said that the close relationship between Việt Nam and France in all fields would continue to develop strongly.

Giving a congratulatory speech at the ceremony, first deputy mayor of Paris in charge of Europe, international affairs and Francophone community Arnaud Grégoire said that the ceremony gathered all those who had been and would continue to keep the relationship between the two countries developing.

He added that Paris would continue to cooperate with Hà Nội and HCM City, to help the two countries’ cities adapt to climate change following creative ways.

Delourme, a France woman whose grandmother is Vietnamese, said that was the second time she has attended Việt Nam’s community Tết holidays in France.

She was very surprised by the performances imbued with traditional Vietnamese culture by young Vietnamese people, born and raised in France but very skilfully performing traditional Vietnamese folk songs. — VNS