Joining in the New Year's atmosphere, many young Vietnamese people living and working abroad try to overcome homesickness, cook a New Year's Eve meal and enjoy the sacred moment of transition.
China
In the sub-zero cold in Beijing (China), Pham Thi Thuong (29 years old, PhD student in International Chinese, Beijing Language and Culture University) and a group of Vietnamese friends organized a cozy New Year's Eve hot pot meal.
Thuong shared with Dan Tri reporter: “In China, people celebrate Tet according to the lunar calendar like Vietnam. Therefore, New Year's Eve is quite simple. Entertainment areas are only lightly decorated, such as coffee shops or restaurants with a few images of New Year greetings.
Friends from Europe organize New Year's Eve dinners at dormitories or participate in countdown events at some major locations."
This was the first time Thuong celebrated New Year's Eve in Beijing. Not used to the cold weather, she decided not to stay until New Year's Eve but to return to her dormitory to review her lessons and prepare for the upcoming exam.
“At the moment of New Year's Day, I just want to stay in my room to study and start writing new study plans for the next semester,” she confided.
On January 1, Thuong and her group of friends organized a meal with a strong Vietnamese flavor to invite international friends to join in the fun. “We will cook Vietnamese dishes to introduce our homeland culture and enjoy a bit of the Tet atmosphere abroad,” she excitedly shared.
For Thuong, even though she celebrates the New Year in another country, the small party with her Vietnamese brothers and sisters helps her have a warm and meaningful New Year.
Japan
With a busy study and research schedule, Nguyen Hoang Long (born 1994, Hanoi) - an international student in Japan - has spent the second time celebrating the New Year away from home.
Just like the New Year in Vietnam, Hoang Long often keeps the habit of cleaning the house, gathering with friends for a festive meal and sharing interesting daily stories.
On the eve of the new year, Hoang Long's class will hold a party with the professor. After that, he and his friends will go to the center of Tokyo (Japan) to wait for the New Year's Eve moment.
“Unlike neighboring countries in the region, New Year’s Day is a major holiday in Japan. At the moment of New Year’s Eve, thousands of people take to the streets to celebrate and enjoy the atmosphere of the transition to the new year.
This is also a holiday for Vietnamese students studying in Japan to gather, cook traditional dishes and participate in fun activities to dispel homesickness," he confided.
Meanwhile, after a year of living and studying in Saitama city (Japan), Nguyen Hong Tham (born 2001) just had a meaningful New Year's Eve with friends.
“Here we don’t have fireworks like in Vietnam, we just count down to New Year’s Eve. If you go out on New Year’s Eve, you definitely won’t have a train to get home,” she confided.
Korea
Many young Vietnamese people said that in Korea, the New Year's atmosphere was quite quiet because the country was holding a national mourning after the tragic plane crash.
Having just arrived in Korea to study for about 4 months, Ha Tuan Dat (born 2001, Hoa Binh) was quite nervous when experiencing the New Year in the land of kimchi for the first time. Even though he had no companion, Tuan Dat still decided to take the subway at 10pm to get to the center of Seoul (Korea) to welcome the new year alone.
The male student was quite surprised by the gloomy and deserted atmosphere on some famous streets. During these days, there are not many celebratory and entertaining activities organized like every year.
Doan Trieu Dieu Anh (born 2001, Nam Dinh) and her sister walked around Seoul, visiting places decorated brightly for the New Year.
The girl born in 2001 was determined to focus on cleaning and redecorating her living space, adding a few small flowers and sparkling lights to make the room look cozier.
In particular, Dieu Anh also personally made a simple Tet meal with mini banh chung, gio cha and some Vietnamese dishes. According to her, the familiar aroma of braised pork or a bowl of cabbage soup will make the New Year in Korea more meaningful.
“Even though I am far from home, I still try to bring the atmosphere of Tet in my homeland into my life in a foreign land so that each new year begins with warmth and hope,” Dieu Anh shared.
Older brother
Ha Phuong Anh, a 23-year-old international student living in London, England, shares her special feelings as she enters her fifth year of celebrating the New Year away from home. For her, the first few years were quite confusing as she was not used to living away from her family. But now, her feelings are lighter and more familiar when she is not with her parents on New Year's Eve.
“My family has only two siblings, both of whom came here to study and work. It’s sad to see my parents at home during these times, but I’m used to it,” Phuong Anh said.
What's special is that this year is the first time Phuong Anh has spent 55 pounds (about 1.7 million VND) to buy tickets to attend the New Year's fireworks display in central London - the area around Big Ben and the London Eye.
She excitedly said: “I went with my brother and friends. This is the first time I have experienced such a bustling atmosphere.”
Regarding the atmosphere in London, Phuong Anh described the streets during the day as quite quiet, no different from normal days.
Norway
This year, Nguyen Hoang Linh (born 2000) - an international student in Norway - decided to stay in the Nordic country to experience the New Year atmosphere with a native friend's family.
According to Hoang Linh, Norwegians often spend New Year's Eve gathering with family or close friends. They decorate their homes and use special patterned dishes, reserved only for Christmas and New Year.
One of the highlights of the Norwegian New Year's feast is the carefully prepared traditional dishes, including tynnribbe (roast pork ribs), pinnekjøtt (lamb) and roast turkey.
“After dinner, my friend's family participated in traditional games that lasted until night and went to the top of the mountain together to watch fireworks at the moment of New Year's Eve.
I will return to Vietnam during the Lunar New Year, so experiencing the New Year according to Norwegian traditions is a very memorable memory," the female international student confided.
Virtue
Nguyen Phuong Anh (born 2001) is an international student in Germany. She and her friends walked around Frankfurt (Germany), visiting some places decorated for the New Year.
Phuong Anh gradually got used to being away from home on important holidays but could not forget the cozy New Year atmosphere and family reunion meals at home.
She shared: “People started to go out early to enjoy the New Year atmosphere. Unlike Asian countries, the streets in Germany are not decorated lavishly, and are even quite simple.”
Hungary
Unable to arrange time to study, Dau Quynh An Na (born 2004, Ha Tinh) chose to stay in the capital Budapest (Hungary) to celebrate New Year 2025 with friends.
On this day, An Na spends time cleaning the house and preparing a New Year's Eve meal with friends with traditional dishes from the 3 regions of North - Central - South.
An Na said that New Year is an opportunity for Vietnamese students studying abroad to share Tet dishes from their locality. Through that, it creates more pride and connects national pride for those living far away from home.
On the night of December 31, An Na's group participated in a countdown event in the center of Budapest, welcoming the moment of the new year.
America
Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy and her husband Lanzi Nathan Christopher (American nationality) and their daughter Emma celebrate the New Year in Connecticut, USA. Currently living and working in Japan, this is the first year the couple has brought their daughter back to the US to celebrate Tet.
The area where Thuy's husband's family lives doesn't have many Vietnamese shops, so these days, the whole family mostly just goes out shopping and taking pictures.
“The New Year celebrations in the area where my husband’s family lives are completely different from those in Vietnam. On this day, young people often gather to party, while older people like to gather for meals with their families.
During the day, my husband and I take our children out to take pictures. The shops still keep the same decoration style from Christmas until the end of January. In America, people celebrate Christmas even bigger than New Year's. Some families even celebrate Christmas with the whole family coming to have fun and gather together," Thanh Thuy shared.
Having celebrated Tet away from home for nearly 10 years, Thuy really misses the moments of gathering with her family and enjoying a traditional Vietnamese meal. She plans to bring baby Emma back to Vietnam for Tet this year.
Photo: Character provided
Dantri.com.vn
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/doi-song/nguoi-viet-song-o-nuoc-ngoai-don-nam-moi-2025-nhu-the-nao-20250101051654263.htm
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