On February 2, the 5th day of the Lunar New Year, the General Association of Vietnamese in Belgium (UGVB) organized a Lunar New Year festival, attracting a large number of overseas Vietnamese in Belgium as well as from neighboring countries to join in the fun.
As a traditional beauty, every Tet holiday, the Woluwe Saint-Pierre Cultural Center in Brussels becomes a warm meeting place for the Vietnamese community in Belgium.
On February 2, the 5th day of the Lunar New Year, the General Association of Vietnamese in Belgium (UGVB) organized a Lunar New Year festival, attracting a large number of overseas Vietnamese living, studying and working in Belgium as well as from neighboring countries to join in the fun.
From early morning, the space of the Cultural Center was filled with the colors of Spring with images of traditional Ao Dai, fresh peach and apricot blossoms, meaningful red parallel sentences... creating a Tet picture imbued with national identity. All Vietnamese people were radiant, eager to immerse themselves in the warm Spring atmosphere, reminiscent of their homeland.
One of the highlights of the event was the area displaying five-fruit trays and the space decorated with Chung cake, Tet cake, apricot blossoms, and peach blossoms. This is not only a corner to preserve traditional values but also a place to attract overseas Vietnamese and international friends to take souvenir photos. In addition, the area displaying books and spring newspapers with publications such as Thanh Nien, Tuoi Tre, Tien Phong, Nguoi Lao Dong, etc., along with books about traditional Tet customs, attracted special attention from many people.
The festival is not only a joyful occasion for Spring but also an opportunity for those far from home to relive the traditional Tet atmosphere.
Ms. Le Thanh Van, who was born and raised in the US but has lived in Belgium for more than 10 years, and her young daughter, who is of mixed Vietnamese and Belgian descent, enthusiastically choose Vietnamese children's books. She shared her wish that her daughter learn Vietnamese to better understand her mother's homeland.
Ms. Quang Thi Minh, from Lille (France), crossed the border to Brussels with her husband and some friends to attend the program. She was moved to say that the warm atmosphere of Vietnamese Tet here helped her feel like she was living in the heart of her homeland, reducing her homesickness.
As for Mr. Cao Van Su, who has been living in Belgium for 59 years, wearing the traditional Ao Dai, he could not hide his emotions when immersing himself in the joyful atmosphere of Vietnamese Tet. He expressed his hope that the Year of the Snake will bring development to his homeland, prosperity to the Vietnamese community in Belgium and peace to the world.
Even international friends have special feelings for Vietnamese Tet. Mr. Olivier Desmedt, a "Vietnamese son-in-law" who has been attached to the Vietnamese community in Belgium for 9 years, shares his love for Tet Nguyen Dan. According to him, Tet is not only an occasion for family reunion but also a time when the Vietnamese community in Belgium gathers together, creating a warm atmosphere that lasts for a whole month, something very different from the Western New Year.
Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium Nguyen Van Thao highly appreciated the role of UGVB in preserving traditional culture, promoting national identity, supporting the community in life and building good relations with the local government. These contributions have helped the Vietnamese community in Belgium receive high appreciation from the host country.
The Ambassador emphasized that in 2024, Vietnam will face many challenges, but will still achieve remarkable achievements thanks to the efforts of the whole country, including the important contributions of the overseas Vietnamese community, especially overseas Vietnamese in Belgium. The Ambassador affirmed: "We can confidently enter the new year of At Ty 2025 with many important events, marking the era of national development".
On this occasion, the Ambassador also announced an important diplomatic event: King Philippe of Belgium and Queen Mathilde, together with the Royal Government delegation, will pay an official visit to Vietnam from March 31 to April 4. This is an important milestone, demonstrating Vietnam's increasingly solid position as an important partner of Belgium in particular and the European Union (EU) in general.
The Ambassador believes that the visit will contribute to further promoting bilateral cooperation in many fields such as politics, economics and culture.
On behalf of the Vietnamese community, Mr. Huynh Cong My, Chairman of UGVB, affirmed that the General Association always strives to build solidarity, support people in life, and organize many activities to connect the community and look towards the homeland. He emphasized that preserving the national cultural identity and strengthening the relationship between the Vietnamese community and the local government is always the top priority of the General Association.
The event was also honored to welcome Ms. Carla Dejonghe, Deputy Mayor of Woluwe Saint-Pierre. She expressed her joy at attending the program and her pride in her district becoming a venue for Vietnamese Tet. According to her, Vietnamese cuisine and culture are truly wonderful, contributing to enriching the multicultural life of Brussels.
This year's Tet festival brings overseas Vietnamese a colorful and impressive art program.
In particular, the performance of the children's choir left many emotions in the hearts of the audience. The children were born and raised in Belgium, many of them were of mixed Vietnamese and Belgian descent, although they still spoke broken Vietnamese, they were still excited to send everyone warm New Year wishes and performed the song "Day Tet Que Em" with great enthusiasm.
The performance not only shows the connection of the young generation with their native culture but also the pride of parents when witnessing their children preserving their language and national identity.
In addition, the festive atmosphere was even more bustling with a special lion dance, symbolizing luck and prosperity in the new year. The lyrical songs about the spring of the homeland and the country were performed by overseas artists from France and Germany, reviving beautiful memories of Vietnamese Tet in the hearts of every child living far away from home.
The highlight of this year’s Tet festival is the participation of the Vietnamese Business Association in Belgium, demonstrating the community’s connection with Vietnamese entrepreneurs and businesses. For the first time, Vietnamese fruits were distributed free of charge to attendees, bringing a new and special touch to this year’s program. Attendees also had the opportunity to participate in the Tombola lottery, with the first prize being a round-trip ticket from Paris to Hanoi sponsored by Vietnam Airlines, along with many other prizes.
The Lunar New Year Festival organized by UGVB is not only an occasion for people to enjoy the Spring, but also an opportunity for each child living abroad to express their national pride and look back to their homeland. This is also an opportunity to connect and build an increasingly strong and growing Vietnamese community in Belgium.
Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/xuan-at-ty-2025-le-hoi-am-ap-cua-cong-dong-nguoi-viet-tai-bi.html
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