Vietnamese in Singapore and Belgian Celebrate Tet with Traditional Dishes

Though living far from their homeland, Vietnamese expatriates gather every Lunar New Year, making traditional dishes to remind themselves of their roots.

Valerie Mai

January 30, 2024 | 15:48

Vietnamese in Singapore and Belgian Celebrate Tet with Traditional Dishes

"Making Green Banh Chung to Welcome a Fruitful Spring" at the Vietnamese Embassy in the Kingdom of Belgium on Jan. 28. (Photo: VNA)

The General Association of Vietnamese People in Belgium held the "Making Green Banh Chung to Welcome a Fruitful Spring" at the Vietnamese Embassy in the Kingdom of Belgium on Jan. 28. At the event, young people and Belgian friends were instructed to make banh chung, an indispensable specialty during Tet.

Thu Hang, who has lived in Brussels for 13 years, taught the children and the Belgian grooms to wrap Banh Chung in dong leaves.

Tam Anh, another Viet in Belgian, said she wanted her children to participate in Vietnamese cultural programs so they better understand the homeland's customs. She wants to teach them the language and culture of Vietnam.

12-year-old Antonio Duc Anh was eager to learn to wrap Banh Chung, even though he does not speak Vietnamese fluently. He carefully folded dong leaves, wrapped them up with sticky rice and beans inside and shaped the wrap into a beautiful square.

Belgian husbands to Vietnamese wives learnt to make Banh Chung (Photo: VNA)

Dennis Laureys and Christophe Standaert were excited to witness the preparations for Vietnamese Tet for the first time. Dennis Laureys said he had visited Vietnam many times but never during Tet, therefore he did not know how to prepare for the holiday. Learning to wrap Banh Chung is a valuable experience for him and other foreigners to better understand the Vietnamese community and experience the warm atmosphere that can only be found at Tet.

The "Making Green Banh Chung" event is the first activity marking the launch of the Women's Committee of the General Association of Vietnamese People in Belgium. Vietnamese Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium Nguyen Van Thao highly appreciated the General Association's initiative to help the younger generation better understand the homeland's culture, particularly the traditional Tet holiday. Thanks to the event, the Vietnamese community abroad gained deeper knowledge about the profound meaning of Banh Chung and continues to preserve and promote traditional values.

Vietnamese students in Singapore made Banh Chung together (Photo: Thai Duong)

Also on January 28, in Singapore, the "Tet of Hearts 2024" was held by the Vietnamese Students Association in Singapore (VNYA) in collaboration with the Vietnamese Embassy. The event brought the atmosphere of homeland Tet to Vietnamese students in Singapore.

Attendees made Banh Chung, candied fruits, and gave away lucky money. They talked and recalled memories of Tet in Vietnam. Through those activities, the Vietnamese community in Singapore preserves and promotes cultural values to build a community that Vietnamese people are proud of.

Vietnamese students in Singapore wore traditional ao dai for a group photo (Photo: Thai Duong)

Vu Minh Tran, a 10th-grade student at CHIJ High School (Singapore) said that the event is a warm and meaningful activity to welcome the traditional Tet. Though living far from home, international students can still taste the flavors of the Tet through familiar Banh Chung or candied coconut ribbons.

"We hope to participate in more events with the Vietnamese community in Singapore," Minh Tran said.

In his remarks, Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Mai Phuoc Dung said: "I hope you always remember your homeland and stay united and help each other while living abroad. I wish you a year full of joy and success on your study and personal development."