My child studying abroad doesn't come home for Tet, but my mother in Vietnam misses him terribly.

Ms. Chu Hong Vinh (wearing a red scarf) with her husband and 5 children on the 2023 spring trip across the Central region.

That is the story of Ms. Chu Hong Vinh, mother of 5 children - 4 girls, 1 boy (aged 23, 19, 16, 10 and 8 years old respectively), residing in Ho Chi Minh City.

Ms. Vinh’s two eldest daughters, Nguyen Ngoc Anh Thu and Nguyen Ngoc Minh Thu, are both former students of Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted, and are currently studying abroad in Melbourne (Australia) and New York (USA). The remaining three children are students in Ho Chi Minh City.

This Tet, Anh Thu and Minh Thu, due to their study and work schedules abroad, cannot return home to celebrate Tet with their families. Therefore, seeing the bustling Tet atmosphere everywhere, seeing Tan Son Nhat airport crowded with people welcoming each other to reunite after long flights, Chu Hong Vinh's heart is filled with longing for her children.

"I don't just remember the Tet holidays when all family members gathered together. I remember all the moments when all 7 of us sat together, during simple daily meals, during previous trips together," said Ms. Chu Hong Vinh.

The mother remembers all the simple moments when the whole family gathered together and ate together.

The mother of five well-behaved, studious children told about a memorable memory last year, when all the children were at home, the whole family took a spring trip along the Central region in a self-driving car. The children planned the itinerary themselves, where to stop to sightsee, what to eat, where to stay... When arriving at each province, the whole family took photos and checked in together, creating more wonderful memories and helping the children gain practical knowledge about Vietnam's geography - something that they had only seen in books before.

"From Ho Chi Minh City, our family drove to Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa), Da Nang, Thua Thien - Hue, Quang Binh, then back to Hoi An (Quang Nam), Quy Nhon (Binh Dinh), Phu Yen... and then back to Ho Chi Minh City. At each location, we stopped to rest and enjoy the local cuisine," Ms. Chu Hong Vinh recalled, flipping through the souvenir photos the whole family took during the 2023 spring trip.

Beautiful memories of Ms. Chu Hong Vinh's family in spring 2023 when the couple and their 5 children traveled along the Central region, stopping to check-in, visit, and eat typical dishes in every province and city they went to.

"Until now, sometimes someone in my family comes across a commemorative photo on their phone or somewhere and immediately posts it to the "Loving Family" group for family members to review with warm, lovely feelings. I am very proud of my family and my children. Many times I realize that it is my children who have helped me grow up a lot, experience many things and become more aware of the efforts and achievements of my family's education," the mother was moved.

More Meaning on the Concept of Family Reunion

This year, on the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2024, Ms. Vinh's eldest daughter Nguyen Ngoc Anh Thu - a law student at Monash University, who has just graduated and is working and studying for 6 months to get a practice certificate - will celebrate the New Year in Melbourne (Australia).

19-year-old daughter Nguyen Ngoc Minh Thu, a student at the University of Rochester, will celebrate Vietnamese New Year with international students from New York, USA.

Anh Thu (left), who has just graduated with a law degree from Monash University, Australia, is currently studying and working to obtain a practice certificate. Next to her is Minh Thu, a student at Rochester University, USA. Both are former students of Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted, Ho Chi Minh City.

The family has 7 members, but this Tet holiday is without 2 daughters, Ms. Chu Hong Vinh wraps her love and longing for her children in phone calls to ask about them. Every day, her family always uses 3 time zones: Vietnam time, Melbourne time and New York time. Members will often choose the most convenient time to call on the Zalo group to share and confide in each other.

Ms. Vinh confided: "My husband and I want to tell our two daughters that, although they are studying abroad in faraway countries like Australia and the United States, we always hope that they will celebrate Lunar New Year away from home as an interesting experience, through which they can learn more about the customs and practices of foreign countries - such as Western New Year. From there, they will see more meaning in the concept of family reunion and the love for their homeland Vietnam. That is also the motivation to help them - international students - strive every day in their studies and research, contributing useful things to the community. The two of them are always the faith and pride of the whole family and the torch that lights the way for their younger siblings in Vietnam to follow...".

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/con-du-hoc-khong-ve-an-tet-me-o-viet-nam-quay-quat-nho-185240207220840374.htm