International Students in Hanoi Eager to Celebrate Tet
	The Beauty Of Vietnamese Tet Holiday Across Five Continents

From January 25-26, at Kanezuka Park in Omiya City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, the Vietnamese Association in Saitama, under the sponsorship of the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, hosted the inaugural "Saitama Vietnamese Tet Festival 2025 - Homeland Tet in the Hearts of Expatriates".

"Saitama Vietnamese Tet Festival 2025 - Homeland Tet in the Hearts of Expatriates". (Photo: Nhan Dan)

The Festival space is brightly decorated with traditional Tet symbols such as apricot blossoms, peach blossoms, banh chung, and writings in red papers, all arranged across six activity areas.

The "Vietnamese Tet Space" recreates the customs of Vietnamese Tet, while the "Entertainment Area" features spring music and art performances like lion dances and folk singing. In the "Food Area," visitors can enjoy traditional Tet dishes such as banh chung, gio lua, pho, and banh mi. The "Play Area" hosts a variety of folk games, and the "Community Area" organizes family reunion activities and check-in spots to preserve memories. Lastly, the "Shopping Area" includes 15 booths styled like a Tet market, and also features spaces for enjoying Vietnamese tea, displaying traditional costumes and calligraphy, and asking for the first words of the year from nun Thich Tam Chi.

These activities not only allow Vietnamese people living in Japan to experience the Tet atmosphere but also provide Japanese people an opportunity to explore and deeply appreciate Vietnamese culture. Delegates, guests, and Japanese friends all expressed their delight in enjoying Vietnamese culinary art with traditional dishes such as banh chung, gio lua, pho, and many specialties from various regions of the country. This created a vibrant and meaningful representation of Vietnamese Tet.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu emphasized that this is a special occasion for the Vietnamese community in Saitama province, and Japan as a whole, to come together, honor the nation's beautiful traditional cultural values, and share the joy of welcoming the Lunar New Year. This event symbolizes the sacred bond that tightly connects those far from home with their beloved Vietnam.

The Ambassador expressed his belief that the Tet Viet Saitama 2025 event will provide wonderful experiences for attendees, helping to connect the Vietnamese community and ease the homesickness of those living far away. He hopes that the Vietnamese community in Saitama will continue to uphold good cultural values, unite, work hard, and develop even more strongly.

Expressing his happiness at attending the Saitama Tet Festival 2025, Horimitsu Atsushi, Deputy Governor of Saitama Prefecture, remarked that this inaugural festival not only brought the Tet atmosphere to the Vietnamese community in Japan but also provided an opportunity for Japanese people to better understand Vietnamese culture and cuisine.

“This is a great opportunity to connect and exchange between communities. We share many cultural similarities with the Vietnamese people, not only with Saitama Prefecture but with all of Japan, including our culinary culture. We are very proud of the cultural diversity in Saitama and hope that this event will promote friendship between our two peoples and countries,” said Horimitsu Atsushi.

Traditional folk games help the Vietnamese community in the Republic of Korea remember their homeland. (Photo: VNA)

At the "Community Tet - Spring of the Homeland" program organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in the Republic of Korea, the highlight was the graceful and colorful Vietnamese ao dai. Through the competition of graceful ao dai, traditional musical instrument performances, and folk games, the Vietnamese community far from home was reminded of the nation's traditional cultural features. The aroma of hometown dishes brought people closer together, fostering unity within the Vietnamese community, promoting the nation's spiritual values, and contributing to the development of both Vietnam and the Republic of Korea. This event also helped to strengthen friendly cooperation between the two countries.

Similarly, the "Community Tet 2025" program organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt featured special performances by students studying in Egypt, helping Egyptian friends better understand Vietnamese culture. In a warm and joyful atmosphere welcoming the Year of the Snake, the Vietnamese community in Egypt and international friends enjoyed traditional dishes infused with the flavors of Vietnamese Tet, such as banh chung, nem, and pho.

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