President and overseas Vietnamese delegates offer incense at Thang Long Imperial Citadel

President Luong Cuong and his wife, along with distinguished guests and overseas Vietnamese, expressed their heartfelt prayers for national peace and prosperity, and for the country to enter the new year with even more groundbreaking successes.

President Luong Cuong and his wife, along with overseas Vietnamese delegates, offer incense at the Kinh Thien Palace in the Thang Long Imperial Citadel historical site, Hanoi . (Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA)

On the morning of January 19th, President Luong Cuong and his wife, along with representatives from central ministries, departments, and agencies, the city of Hanoi, and nearly 100 overseas Vietnamese delegates, performed a ceremony of offering incense at the Kinh Thien Palace in Thang Long Imperial Citadel to respectfully commemorate the generations of ancestors who fought and sacrificed to preserve and protect the Vietnamese nation.

This activity is part of the "Spring in the Homeland 2025" program, jointly organized annually by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , and the Hanoi People's Committee. Through this, the program continues to clearly demonstrate the affection and responsibility of the Party and State in caring for the overseas Vietnamese community, promoting patriotism, fostering a connection to their roots, and encouraging overseas Vietnamese to preserve their cultural identity, traditions, and language.

The President and his wife, along with distinguished guests and overseas Vietnamese, expressed their heartfelt prayers for national peace and prosperity, and for the country to enter the new year with even more breakthroughs in its development. They also reported to their ancestors about the return of overseas Vietnamese from all over the world to their homeland.

President Luong Cuong and his wife, along with overseas Vietnamese, release carp into the Ho Chi Minh Pond in the Presidential Palace historical site to bid farewell to the Kitchen God and the Stove God. (Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA)

Following that, the President and his wife, along with overseas Vietnamese delegates, participated in releasing carp into the Ho Chi Minh Pond within the Presidential Palace historical site.

The event took place just days before the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month – the day when the Kitchen Gods are sent to heaven, symbolizing "carp leaping over the dragon gate to transform into a dragon," representing perseverance and resilience in the pursuit of development and success.

In a warm and open atmosphere, President Luong Cuong and his wife shared with overseas Vietnamese about their work and lives; thanked the Vietnamese community around the world for their unwavering devotion to their homeland; and wished everyone a prosperous, successful, and healthy New Year.

President Luong Cuong and his wife, along with a delegation of overseas Vietnamese, visited their homeland on the occasion of the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Snake 2025. (Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA)

According to the program, on the evening of the same day, President Luong Cuong will extend New Year greetings to overseas Vietnamese and beat the ceremonial drum to inaugurate the Spring Festival at the National Convention Center, a cultural exchange program for all overseas Vietnamese attending the event.

The Spring Homeland 2025 program, themed "Vietnam - Rising in the New Era," took place from January 18-20 with many rich and meaningful events. This is an important cultural and political event, attracting special attention from the Vietnamese community abroad and always eagerly awaited by overseas Vietnamese every Tet holiday.

This year's program attracted the participation of approximately 1,500 overseas Vietnamese delegates from all over the world who returned home to celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year).

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