Colorful Tet of Vietnamese students studying abroad

Spring days for young people living far away from home, though colorful, all turn towards their homeland and family.

Bringing Tet closer

Living in an area with few Asians, Tet falls right in exam season, so this year's traditional holiday is somewhat bland for Ngan Anh - an international student majoring in European Finance in Germany. The young girl spends most of her time on her studies and can't help but feel sad when thinking about her parents at home not being able to fully celebrate Tet because their children are all abroad.

Despite being busy, this Tet, Ngan Anh wants to take the time to try cooking traditional dishes such as banh chung, cha gio or braised pork with eggs at her German boyfriend's house. "My boyfriend's family really likes Vietnamese food and even proactively asked me about Tet and the meaning of the 12 zodiac animals."

Ngan Anh shows off his Vietnamese cooking skills in Germany. Photo provided by the character

The girl born in 2003 was very happy to see that ethnic culture was cared for and accepted in a foreign land. This helped Ngan Anh ease her homesickness.

Meanwhile, Tran Anh Quan, an international student majoring in Artificial Intelligence in Australia, was busy with his part-time job during the Tet holidays. The 2004-born boy did not forget to plan to celebrate New Year's Eve online with his family despite the 4-hour time difference between Australia and Vietnam.

"The moment I heard the sound of fireworks on my phone, my heart suddenly tightened because I missed home so much. I felt a little jealous when I saw the pictures of my friends at home wrapping banh chung, going out to celebrate Tet, and visiting their teachers" - Mr. Quan confided about his feelings during Tet last year.

Anh Quan celebrated New Year's Eve online with his family last year. Photo provided by the character

Celebrating Tet away from home makes the young man from Quang Tri understand more about the value of family reunion and appreciate what he has. Quan uses nostalgia as motivation to study and develop in a foreign land, "to pack things that make his parents proud when he returns home."

Keeping the fire burning in a foreign land

Luckily living with the Vietnamese international student community, Quynh Khanh, a Public Relations & Advertising student, had her first Tet in Korea bustling and cozy. Everyone went to the market together, cooked a full meal of boiled chicken, braised pork, eggplant, and gathered to celebrate New Year's Eve.

The female student from Binh Dinh said that Koreans celebrate Tet like Vietnamese people but only have 3 days off from New Year's Eve to the 2nd day. The two countries also have many similar customs such as setting up altars to worship ancestors and wearing traditional costumes.

Simple but cozy Tet meal of Quynh Khanh and her friends. Photo provided by the character

"I was also taken by my Korean friends to eat tteokguk (rice cake soup). Korean people eat this dish on New Year's Day to welcome the new age" - Quynh Khanh excitedly shared.

Khanh Linh, an Economics student in Canada, was also lucky to celebrate "Vietnamese New Year in the West" with the local Vietnamese community. This year, everyone plans to hold an annual meeting to celebrate spring together.

"Everyone in the community is very close-knit and loves each other. My Tet is simple but full of Vietnamese cultural features from decoration, feasting to performing arts. I hope that no matter where you are, everyone will have a warm and happy Tet" - Khanh Linh expressed.

Bringing Vietnamese Tet to the world

The first year celebrating Tet away from home, although still feeling confused and pressured, Anh Thu - an international relations student in the US - was still determined to organize a "Tet party" to invite international friends to join in the fun. This was both a way for the young girl to "repay" the love her friends had for her and an opportunity to bring her hometown culture to the world.

Anh Thu treated her friends to fried spring rolls and gave them Vietnamese gifts such as brocade bags and key chains printed with famous landscapes. The girl born in 2003 and her friends danced and sang to spring music and shared cultural stories about their country.

Anh Thu (blue shirt) celebrates Tet with friends from five continents. Photo provided by the character

"As the only Vietnamese person at school, I thought I would be lonely, but I didn't expect to have friends from all over the world by my side. I will always remember the scene of my friends attentively listening to me talk about Tet and Vietnamese culture" - Anh Thu confided.

The female student from Binh Duong excitedly recounted her "cultural promotion achievements", such as how international friends were amazed and delighted when they saw the ao dai. "My Honduran roommate even said she would "carry" ingredients from the US home to make fried spring rolls for her family" - Anh Thu excitedly boasted.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/tet-nhieu-sac-mau-cua-du-hoc-sinh-viet-noi-xu-nguoi-196250126225923086.htm