What holiday is happier than family reunion?

For Như Mai, a second-year international student majoring in the restaurant industry in the state of Bayern in the Federal Republic of Germany, Tet is a meaningful day, an occasion for all family members to gather together to welcome the new year with wishes for luck and success. “In the Federal Republic of Germany, there is no Lunar New Year holiday, so we still go to school and work. During breaks, we will call home to wish our family and friends a Happy New Year and take advantage of our free time to cook Vietnamese dishes together. At those times, everyone gathers together to cook and talk to ease homesickness, and also to reassure our families that, no matter where we are, we will always have our compatriots and always have Tet,” Như Mai shared.

Putting aside homesickness, each international student happily enjoys the moment together.

As for Do Tra Giang, a third-year international student majoring in information security at the Moscow Institute of Energy (National Research University of the Russian Federation), every time Tet comes, Tra Giang often gathers with her fellow international students to go to the market to buy ingredients to make banh chung. Everyone also "shows off" their skills in cooking typical Vietnamese Tet dishes such as braised pork, fried spring rolls... to prepare for the New Year's Eve meal and welcome the new year.

Tet away from home is still full of Chung cake, Tet cake, and Giay cake.

“The moment I called home to wish everyone a happy new year, I missed my parents so much and just wanted to fly back to Vietnam to hug them. But the more I missed home, the more determined I was to complete my university program well so as not to let my family down,” Tra Giang confided.

Also at the Moscow Energy Institute, Mr. Tran Quoc Thinh is a second-year graduate student. During his 8 years of studying abroad, he has spent 7 Tet holidays away from home. Although celebrating Tet far from home, Mr. Thinh still neatly prepares spring rolls, banh chung, jam, fruits... like in Vietnam. "Every year, the international student unit at the school always prepares a Tet celebration program for everyone to gather, eat and chat together. Celebrating Tet far from home for international students is an occasion when they miss home and miss the atmosphere of Tet in their homeland. For Mr. Thinh, seeing his family always healthy is the happiest thing."

The square, plump banh chung and banh tet cakes convey the feelings of those far from home.

In a foreign land, they still prepare carefully to celebrate the traditional Tet according to Vietnamese customs and practices. There are still year-end parties with all kinds of Vietnamese dishes, but the taste of Tet is very different. In each person's heart, there are emotions and memories that are difficult to name. And even though they cannot return home, those who are far from home still contribute to preserving, promoting and spreading Vietnamese culture and identity to friends around the world. Even though Tet is far away, it is still filled with love.

Celebrating Tet away from home for three years was an emotional and unforgettable experience for Le Thi Mai, a student majoring in Business Administration at Seizu Senmon Gakko University (Japan). Every time she video called her family to wish them a happy New Year, Mai was moved and cried, but it seemed to have become a habit of hers when she was away from home.

Year-end party of Vietnamese students studying in the Russian Federation on the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2022.

“Every New Year's Eve, I make a video call to Vietnam, listen to the bustling Tet music, the cheers and congratulations, and feel the Tet atmosphere from Vietnam... Every time I cry, but I have to see people celebrating Tet to feel at ease. Japan does not celebrate Lunar New Year like Vietnam, but my school still gives international students a week off. I have never had that many days off for Tet, I only celebrate Tet for 1-2 days with friends and go on spring trips, the rest of the time I will work part-time to earn more income,” Le Thi Mai shared.

International students enjoy the 2019 Lunar New Year cultural night.

As for Ms. Nguyen Thu Lam, after more than three years working in Taiwan (China), she always misses her daughter and relatives back home. Especially, every time Tet comes, the homesickness is multiplied. Ms. Lam misses the feeling of excitement when shopping for home decorations, buying clothes for her daughter, missing the New Year's Eve parties... Being far away, Ms. Lam can only convey all her thoughts and feelings through phone calls.

Meetings in small communities make Tet in the homeland feel closer to young people.

“On New Year’s Eve, my sisters and I in the dormitory gathered together to eat, drink, and chat. But every year, after sitting for a while, everyone stood up and called their relatives in Vietnam. The calls lasted for hours to ask about their health, how everyone was shopping and celebrating Tet, and to wish them a happy new year… Although here, we also decorate for Tet like in Vietnam, I only feel the Tet atmosphere when I call Vietnam and chat with my loved ones,” Lam confided.