Craving the feeling of wearing ao dai on Tet holiday
Phung Thu Anh (26 years old), currently working in information technology at a bank in the Netherlands, said that this year she and her husband returned to Vietnam to prepare for the wedding, so they could not attend the "Spring Homeland" program organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in the Netherlands. Every year, Thu Anh and her husband participate in this program and meet fellow countrymen to ease their longing for the traditional Tet holiday in Vietnam.
Thu Anh and her husband
PHOTO: NVCC
However, Thu Anh still maintains her family's tradition by organizing a year-end party at home and preparing a tray of food to worship her grandparents, showing gratitude to her ancestors during Tet.
With the cold air of the Dutch winter, Thu Anh and her husband cannot wear Ao Dai like in Vietnam, although they still want to have traditional Tet images. "We have to wear thick cotton coats and turn on the heater in the house because it is too cold. The image of Tet wearing Ao Dai is something that has not been possible for more than 7 years," Thu Anh confided. However, although she cannot participate in big events, she still tries to bring the Tet atmosphere to her home. 
Thu Anh's family organizes Chung cake wrapping in the Netherlands
PHOTO: NVCC
In addition to preparing the New Year's Eve meal, Thu Anh and her husband decorated the house to welcome Tet, although they could not create a space as brilliant as in their hometown. "We hung red lanterns, banners, parallel sentences and arranged snow mai flowers to create a Tet atmosphere. Although we tried our best, everything was only 5% compared to the Tet atmosphere in Vietnam," Thu Anh shared.
A sumptuous meal but lacking… the taste of home
Professor Dang Thu Huong (33 years old, from Quang Ninh), a tenure-track Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Management Science, Lancaster School of Management, Lancaster University (UK) said that this year Tet falls in the middle of the week so there is not much time to prepare a sumptuous feast.
Professor Dang Thu Huong
PHOTO: NVCC
According to Ms. Huong, on New Year's Eve after school, she quickly ran home to prepare some traditional dishes to cook quickly for the offering and to celebrate Tet to create the atmosphere. Every year, there is banh chung, but this year Ms. Huong chose banh khuc nem cam and nem ran. This weekend, Ms. Huong took the opportunity to let her children go out to make up for Tet: "I want my children to understand and love the traditional Tet."
This is the 8th year Ms. Huong celebrates Tet abroad. During Tet in Vietnam, Ms. Huong still has to go to work as a teacher. However, Ms. Huong still cannot forget the Tet atmosphere in her homeland.
Tet meal cooked by Ms. Huong
PHOTO: NVCC
“I miss the feeling of excitement as I counted the hours and minutes until New Year’s Eve, watched the fireworks, and went to the temple to burn incense. I miss the atmosphere of everyone gathering together, visiting relatives’ houses to wish them a happy new year,” Ms. Huong shared. After New Year’s Eve, Ms. Huong took the time to make a video call to wish her family in Vietnam a happy new year to ease her longing.
More than 10 years since Ms. Cao Thi Thu Diem (31 years old) left Tay Ninh to follow her husband to Busan City (South Korea), life in a foreign land still cannot erase her homesickness, especially during the Lunar New Year.
Although she has become accustomed to living in the land of kimchi, she still feels nostalgic during Tet. This Tet, like every year, she still prepares authentic Vietnamese dishes for her family to gather around. “I go to the market to buy chicken, make fried spring rolls, and cook vegetable soup. Although Vietnamese food is available here, the Tet atmosphere is still lacking. This meal cannot compare to the feeling of reunion at home,” Ms. Diem shared.
Tet meal cooked by Ms. Diem in Korea
PHOTO: NVCC
In addition to preparing traditional meals, Ms. Diem also teaches her two children about Lunar New Year customs, from giving lucky money to wishes, in order to preserve Vietnamese cultural values in the family despite being far away from the Fatherland.
“In Korea, Tet cannot be as complete as in Vietnam. The meals are delicious, but lack the atmosphere of reunion and the warm laughter of family members. Vietnamese food can be found here, but it lacks the familiar taste and feeling. At times like that, I can’t help but miss home and have cried many times,” Ms. Diem confided.
She recalled her first days in Korea in 2014. “The first year, I was really sad. I missed Tet, my hometown and my parents. Every time I called my family, I could only cry. Time made me calm down and I still kept the customs of my people in a foreign land,” Ms. Diem recounted.
Although living abroad has helped Ms. Diem mature and adapt, memories of Tet in Vietnam are always an indispensable part of the young mother's heart. During Tet holidays far from home, Ms. Diem still keeps Vietnamese cultural features with her small family.
Thanhnien.vn
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/o-xu-nguoi-nhung-nang-dau-viet-nho-tet-que-huong-185250201154246492.htm
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