'Tet in Summer' Held in Belgium to Raise Funds for Poor Vietnamese Kids

During the event, the campus of Sint-Paulus Primary School in Gent became unusually bustling. Women in graceful Vietnamese ao dai, playful Vietnamese-Belgian children running around. Even Belgium who married Vietnamese women wore ao dai. Everyone was filled with happiness and excitement.

The audience enjoyed watching the lion dance performance (Photo: VNA).

Branches of peach and apricot flowers were made from brightly colored fabrics, creating a festive atmosphere. A red couplet was solemnly hung on the wall. The conical hats were hung along with postcards to introduce the landscape of the S-shaped country. The tet cakes, the pork belly, and the lion dance, all bring the exciting atmosphere of the Vietnamese New Year.

In the outdoor space, the smell of fried spring rolls and grilled pork rolls attracted the participants. The kitchen staff were all Belgians who have joined this program for many years.

Filip Tondeleir and Johan van Praet are enthusiastic volunteers of the Vietnamese Tet program. They carefully put each spring roll in a pan of hot oil placed on the stove, watched the pan to make sure that the oil was not too hot, and flipped each spring roll at the right time.

Johan van Praet is the oldest person in the spring rolls section. He has participated in the Vietnamese Tet program since day one and is also an organizer of the event.

Belgian friends volunteered in the program (Photo: VNA).

Aan Van der Meulen, 91, is also a regular guest in the program. She was very happy to join with Vietnamese friends, enjoy food and talk with the Vietnamese community. Aan Van der Meulen said that she hoped more people would join to support disadvantaged children in Vietnam.

To prepare for the event, two months before, the Organizing Committee made an announcement on their social media to hold an "online Tet fair" to raise funds. The fair was very delighted as people donated many things: a few pots of herbs, some food items, Vietnamese spices, packets of coffee, green tea, paintings, and books. All of them were sold to contribute to the charity fund for poor children in Vietnam.

Quynh Iris de Prell, a writer in Brussels, said that she went to the market a few times to buy fresh tropical fruit for her Tet tray. She brought to the event a grocery stall with goods from her hometown's market, such as dry goods, vegetables, rice paper rolls, and salted peanuts. Quynh Iris de Prell also brought to her stall a coconut shell to store water and carefully prepared a pot of steamed sweet potatoes, a pot of ancient tea buds from Ha Giang, and peanut candy so that everyone could feel the warm atmosphere of Vietnam. She also brought books and pém written by her and some other Vietnamese writers. The books, translated into French, English, and Dutch, were sold to raise funds for the Friends for Vietnamese Children. Her husband, a Belgian, and their two kids were excited to wear ao dai at the event.

Quynh Iris de Prell and her Vietnamese Tet booth (Photo: VNA).

Explaining the reason for holding Tet in summer, Nguyen Chung Thuy, leader of Friends for Vietnamese Children, said that many Belgians love Vietnam and always want to enjoy the Tet atmosphere. However, the Vietnamese New Year is usually held in Brussels in the cold season, therefore, many people cannot attend. Thuy and her colleagues decided to hold a charity program in July, close to children's summer vacations and when their parents are less busy with work. On this occasion, the Vietnamese Tet team introduces to the local Belgian community the unique features of Vietnamese traditional culture and cuisine.

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