“Seeing relatives and friends in Vietnam sharing pictures of preparing for Tet, even though I’m sad, I’m very excited for Tet, I even count the days and wait until New Year’s Eve”, Thanh Huyen (2002, du students in Germany) shared.
This is Huyen’s first year eat Tet away from home. Homesick, busy, sad, but Huyen and her friend Thanh Duong and many other international students still try to organize a year-end meal together.
Enjoy Vietnamese New Year with international friends
Thanh Huyen and Thanh Duong are both international students and live in the same house in Germany. In the first year of not being able to celebrate Tet in Vietnam, both Duong and Huyen were very homesick. Every time they call back, even though they are very sad and pitiful, they both try to hold back so that their parents can be reassured.
Although it is a busy time with class schedules, Duong, Huyen and other Vietnamese students at the school did not forget to prepare a meal together at the end of the year, taking advantage of the opportunity to enjoy it. Vietnamese Tet in a foreign land.
Huyen said that her nursing class currently has more than 20 Vietnamese students. This year, Huyen’s class combined with another class to hold a year-end party right at the school. The year-end party will include traditional Vietnamese dishes, cooked by the students themselves and brought to class.
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Thanh Huyen, Thanh Duong and their friends celebrated Vietnamese New Year and invited foreign teachers to attend. Photo: NVCC. |
Planning to make fried spring rolls, from the afternoon of January 19 (Tet 28), after returning from school, Duong and Huyen together went to the Asian market, Dong Xuan market in Germany to buy ingredients. Here, the Tet atmosphere is filled with the sound of busy shoppers. Huyen said that at the market selling many traditional Vietnamese goods, her friend thought she was at home.
“We can buy all the ingredients here. Things that only Vietnam have, such as gold coins, peach blossoms, and banh chung, are available in the market,” Huyen said.
Walking around the market, Duong and Huyen bought all the ingredients for fried spring rolls such as vermicelli, rice paper rolls, wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, etc. Vegetables such as carrots, onions, scallions, and coriander are available. buy at supermarkets.
After dinner, the two female students immediately began to prepare, wrap and fry spring rolls. 30 spring rolls were completed, the next day, the two of you just need to fry them to bring them to school, eagerly waiting for the party time.
At 12 o’clock, after school, more than 40 Vietnamese students at Forum Berufsbildung (Germany) gathered together to decorate the classroom, reheat the food and arrange it on the table.
Huyen can’t help but be surprised when she has a friend who prepares both colored sticky rice, fried rice with guise leaves… And of course, it is indispensable for banh chung, boiled chicken, spring rolls, pork rolls, fried spring rolls. Some students even prepare some traditional dishes of your country such as kimchi, rice rolls.
“We invited teachers in Germany and students from other countries to the party. Teachers and friends were also very excited, supported us in organizing, did not hesitate to use chopsticks, enthusiastically took pictures and complimented Vietnamese food. This is also an opportunity for us to introduce traditional dishes to your country,” Huyen shared.
It can be seen that these meals help Vietnamese students to feel less homesick and feel the warm family atmosphere right in their home country.
Eat Vietnamese Tet with Vietnamese people
After the year-end meal, Huyen and Duong are preparing to participate in the Tet-Fest program held on January 28, in Berlin. Duong said this program has been held for many years in Germany with performances such as lion dance, spring singing, traditional dance, Tet party with traditional dishes… This year is the first year that Duong has received the award. participated, so her friend was very eager and enthusiastic to contribute ideas for the repertoire.
“I was quite busy with my studies, so I only had time to come up with ideas with everyone but could not practice together. However, when I see them practice dancing and singing every day, I look forward to that day,” Duong shared.
Meanwhile, in the US, on the evening of January 20 (the morning of the 30th Lunar New Year in Vietnam), Minh Quan (21) is also participating in a Tet program organized by the Vietnamese student association at Drexel University. To participate in the program, Quan and his friends must buy tickets early for 40 USD/5 tickets.
Sharing with Zing, Quan said that this time, male students are reeling from assignments and deadlines. In the afternoon of the day of the program, after finishing school early, Quan took the opportunity to study at home until 17:30 before starting to move.
This year, Quan was surprised when the number of people participating in the program was up to 100 people, double that of last year, including some foreign students.
19h, the program starts with round table buffet. The traditional dishes in the Vietnamese Tet tray are presented on the table such as fried spring rolls, spring rolls, spring rolls, fried spring rolls, sticky rice… for everyone to choose.
“After that, we had fun playing bingo, enjoying cultural performances and playing traditional games together. However, this year, the atmosphere at the show seems to be quieter than last year. When a female friend sang the song “Dream of Mother”, the whole room seemed to fall, perhaps everyone was missing her mother and family,” Quan said.
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While celebrating Tet in the US, Quan still had the opportunity to play bingo and listen to the song “Mother’s dream”. Photo: NVCC. |
This is Quan’s 2nd year celebrate Lunar New Year in the USHowever, male students are still not used to celebrating Tet away from home. Even though he called home every day, Quan was still easily embarrassed when he was alone in a foreign land.
Unlike Quan, Ho Phung (a graduate student in the Netherlands) ate the 10th New Year in this country. However, this is her first year attending the Spring Home program organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in the Netherlands.
Joining her were also Bao Chau (first year student at Erasmus University Rotterdam) and many other international students.
“This program is also the first time organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in the Netherlands. The number of guests is about 400 people, including 60-70 students. Although I have attended many year-end parties in the Netherlands, it is rare for a party to make me feel so solemn,” said Phung.
What is especially rare when she joins this party is the Vietnamese tradition and culture conveyed by the Embassy.
“At the party, we wore ao dai, sang the national anthem and listened to Ambassador Pham Viet Anh talk about Vietnamese traditions and culture and meaningful programs we had not heard of such as Vietnamese language classes for children. expatriate families live here,”
The party featured many traditional Vietnamese dishes such as banh chung, spring rolls, spring rolls, sticky rice… All dishes were contributed by Vietnamese expatriates in the Netherlands. At the party, the wife of the Vietnamese ambassador to the Netherlands also personally peeled fruit to invite guests.
Despite being invited as a guest, Phung and his friends in the Vietnamese Student Union in Rotterdam decided to come early and contribute to the party such as carrying furniture, setting the table, pouring tea, etc.
“We also had fun with the musical performance ’60 years of life’. People were very responsive to us – a bunch of international students who hadn’t lived half of 60 years but sang ’60 years of life’,” recalled Phung.
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Phung (flower dress) with students from the Vietnamese Student Union in Rotterdam at the year-end party at the Vietnamese Embassy in the Netherlands. Photo: Vietnamese Student Association in Rotterdam. |
For Bao Chau, this is the first Tet she celebrates away from home. This year, instead of cleaning the house and decorating for Tet with his family, Chau just cleaned his small room in the Netherlands and buried his head in studying for the final exam that will take place on the 2nd of Tet.
Ignoring the feeling of self-pity and homesickness, she said that she was very happy to wear ao dai to join the party at the Embassy with other international students.
“The food that day at the embassy was quite similar to the taste of home food. The more I eat, the more I feel touched and miss my family,” Chau shared.
Besides joining the party on January 15 with the Embassy, on January 28, the Vietnamese Student Association in Rotterdam will also hold another New Year party. After many years of participating in this program, Phung said that she can do many things she likes with fellow students of the same age.
“After eating, we will play cards and bingo. For those who like to take pictures, there is a photo booth decorated ‘very Vietnamese’. In the year-end parties, for me, the year-end party with the student union is still the most fun,” she said excitedly.
However, Phung still hopes she will have the opportunity to once again celebrate Tet in Vietnam. For her, Tet in Vietnam still has a unique atmosphere that is not available anywhere else.