'Wherever I go, I miss my hometown. The communal house yard, the well, the banyan tree in front of the pagoda'. Entering the days before Tet, the poems of author Quoc Phuong resonate again, especially with Vietnamese people living abroad.
Studying and working abroad without the opportunity to return to Vietnam to celebrate Tet, young people of Gen Z still remember and want to preserve Vietnamese traditions in a foreign land.
Image of Tet feast of Ms. Huong's family in the US
PHOTO: DO THI HUONG
Although she has lived and worked in Australia for 8 years, every time Tet comes, Nguyen Dieu Linh's family (born in 1999) still keeps the tradition of giving lucky money at the beginning of the year and going to temples in Melbourne to pray for blessings. "I still remember during the Covid-19 pandemic, relatives stayed up all night to wrap and cook banh chung to give to children living far away from home who could not return home for Tet. We also carefully gave banh chung to friends and relatives as a wish for a prosperous new year," Linh confided.
However, finding the ingredients to create Vietnamese dishes is not easy for international students in the central area of Australian cities. “It will be very difficult to find banana leaves to wrap banh chung, sour rice to make stir-fried snails with banana and bean, herbs such as ngo and ngo gai to create the typical flavor of Vietnamese dishes,” according to Ms. Linh.
Ms. Linh and her friends wrap Chung cakes for Tet.
PHOTO: NGUYEN DIEU LINH
However, she still tried to complete the dishes. Linh said she brought Vietnamese food to the company to introduce to her colleagues, despite facing many cautious looks about dishes such as snails, durian, shrimp paste, etc. Gradually, Linh's Australian colleagues began to love Vietnamese food. "I even brought Tet to my company. Vietnamese food is the best," Linh said. "Although I have lived and worked abroad for a long time, I always have a strong belief that every step I take will leave in the hearts of the people there a memory of the Vietnamese people. We do not go abroad to dissolve but to integrate, to be able to show international friends the beauty of the long-standing culture of the Vietnamese people," Linh confided.
Ms. Linh decorates Tet at her company in Australia
PHOTO: NGUYEN DIEU LINH
Ms. Linh and her family took photos in Ao Dai on the occasion of Tet.
PHOTO: NGUYEN DIEU LINH
This year's Tet is another holiday season for Do Thi Huong (born in 2001) - an international student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Massachusetts (USA) who did not return to Vietnam . As Tet approaches, Huong misses home even more. Huong confided: "Although far from home, keeping Tet customs while living abroad not only preserves traditional culture but is also an opportunity to bond with family."
Huong wears Ao Dai and takes photos during Tet in America
PHOTO: DO THI HUONG
Huong said her family often decorates the house to create a Tet atmosphere, prepares offerings to show gratitude to ancestors, and takes photos with relatives in traditional ao dai. In addition, as a student, Huong often joins the Vietnamese club to meet fellow countrymen, exchange cultures, and enjoy the Tet atmosphere while away from home.
Huong's family decorates their house for Tet in the US.
PHOTO: DO THI HUONG
Incense for casting fortunes on New Year's Day in the US
PHOTO: DO THI HUONG
Huong is always proud to be a Vietnamese and always considers preserving traditions as necessary to affirm identity and spread beautiful values to international friends. “The young generation, those who live and study abroad are special bridges between Vietnam and the world, between tradition and modernity. I always remind myself to remember and preserve national pride so that no matter where I go, I will not forget my roots,” Huong confided.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/gen-z-viet-don-tet-noi-xu-nguoi-18525012508293998.htm
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