Ambassadors of countries talk about the special features of Tet in Vietnam

The experience of celebrating Vietnam's traditional New Year always leaves many emotions for foreign diplomats in Hanoi. On the occasion of the Spring of At Ty 2025, foreign ambassadors in Vietnam shared their feelings and unforgettable experiences during the Lunar New Year in Vietnam.

Although he has only been assigned to Vietnam for nearly 2 months, Vietnam, especially the capital Hanoi, has captivated Cuban Ambassador Rogelio Polanco Fuentes. In a video clip wishing Vietnam a Happy New Year, in the space of Hoan Kiem Lake, which is considered the "heart of Hanoi", Cuban Ambassador Rogelio Polanco Fuentes sends his warm greetings and a hug of solidarity to the Vietnamese people on the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2025 - a year of heroic anniversaries and the Vietnam - Cuba Friendship Year.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Cuba to Vietnam Rogelio Polanco Fuente stood by Hoan Kiem Lake and sent his warm wishes to the Vietnamese people.

"May this holiday of reunion and friendship bring new energies, opening a new era of strong development, for the prosperity, happiness and sustainable development both materially and spiritually of Vietnam. May the glorious history of Vietnam, along with the rich culture and kindness of the Vietnamese people continue to be the most precious assets that need to be preserved.

We hope that peace will be restored, just like the sword was returned in the legendary story of Hoan Kiem Lake, and that will allow us to enjoy life in Vietnam a thousand times more beautifully," the Cuban Ambassador sent his wishes.

2025 is the “Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Year” as the two countries celebrate the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (December 2, 1960 - December 2, 2025). Over the past 65 years, the traditional solidarity, support and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba have been constantly cared for, consolidated, promoted and developed in many fields.

Apparently having thoroughly studied the Lunar New Year customs in Vietnam, French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet very early on "tailored" for himself a traditional Vietnamese ao dai and decorated it with peach blossoms to welcome Tet.

For the second year celebrating Lunar New Year in Vietnam, French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet decided to buy an ao dai and personally decorate peach blossoms and a vase of dahlias symbolizing wealth and luck. Recalling his Tet shopping story, Ambassador Oliver Brochet said he was very impressed with the ability of Vietnamese people when they could transport very large peach and kumquat trees on motorbikes. It was these very ordinary images that helped Ambassador Olivier Brochet understand more about Hanoi in particular and Vietnam in general.

“I am very impressed with Hanoi's cultural life. There are many cinemas and many theaters. The cultural life of Hanoians is extremely rich. I hope Hanoi can promote and spread the city's culture more strongly internationally," Ambassador Olivier Brochet shared and expressed his expectations for the relationship between the two countries in 2025: "In 40 years of renovation, Vietnam has always set ambitious goals. But more importantly, Vietnam always knows how to achieve the set goals. France is one of the first Western partners to accompany Vietnam's development process since the beginning of opening up. We continue to wish to accompany Vietnam in the new era."

After more than two years working in Vietnam, British Ambassador to Vietnam Iain Frew shared: “This is my third Tet in Vietnam and I have to say that after two and a half years living in Vietnam, I feel very happy and relaxed... Tet is different every year. The first year I was here before Tet and then returned to the UK during Tet, last year I stayed in Vietnam for the whole Tet holiday. What I find interesting is the way people celebrate Tet and the fact that Hanoi becomes very crowded and then very quiet. It is a very special time.”

British Ambassador to Vietnam Iain Frew. (Source: VNA)

Ambassador Iain Frew also said that he enjoyed the traditional Vietnamese customs during Tet such as worshiping the Kitchen Gods, as well as making banh chung - an experience that the diplomat found very interesting. “I learned more about these rich traditions, about the dishes and why some of them are associated with Tet. So for me, it was a wonderful time,” the Ambassador expressed his feelings.

Along with sharing his impressions of the traditional Vietnamese New Year, Ambassador Iain Frew also expressed his joy at the positive development of the relationship between Vietnam and the UK over the past year. According to the Ambassador, the relationship between the UK and Vietnam has developed very positively and strongly over the years, in many traditional and new areas, such as in the fields of trade, energy transition, education and training, security and defense; at the same time, he believes that the cooperation between the two countries will develop more strongly in the coming time.

Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam Thomas Gass.

Like Ambassador Iain Frew, Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam Thomas Gass said that Tet At Ty is his third Tet in Vietnam. “I celebrated Tet in 2023, 2024 and now 2025, and I have to say that I really love this occasion. I love the excitement that people bring. I love the colorful flower markets, the sight of people bringing plants to give to relatives and friends. It's wonderful,” Ambassador Thomas Gass shared.

The Ambassador also said that what he looks forward to during Tet is enjoying traditional dishes such as banh chung, bamboo shoot soup and che lam - sweet sticky rice cake with a layer of powdered sugar on the outside or crispy and fragrant ginger jam...

Also after two years working in Vietnam, Dutch Ambassador Kees van Baar said he was truly attracted to the country and people of Vietnam and did not want to leave Vietnam.

“Honestly, I always feel great when I am in Vietnam. I love my work and life here, I love the food culture and the people here. Vietnam makes me feel like coming home, coming back to a green country, with lots of rain and many rivers and plains. Vietnam has a lot of flowers, Vietnamese people love flowers, just like the Dutch.

But of course, your cuisine is very different and I really like Vietnamese food. The Vietnamese people are also different, which makes everything even more interesting. I have to say, I don't want to leave at all, really," Ambassador Kees van Baar shared.

Dutch Ambassador Kees van Baar and members of the embassy in Hanoi wearing Ao Dai check-in on Ta Hien street. (Source: Embassy of the Netherlands in Vietnam)

Sharing his experience of Vietnamese Tet, the Ambassador said he really likes Vietnamese Tet. “What I like is the excitement of the days before Tet. Especially the days when the whole city seems to turn into a park with mobile trees. During Tet, everyone buys trees to bring home, including kumquat trees, peach blossoms, and plum blossoms.

People transport trees all over the city, bringing them to people to plant in their gardens or display in their homes. I love that. On New Year's Eve, my friends and I always go to see fireworks at West Lake.

On New Year's Day, we gather together, drink coffee together, eat together, celebrate and enjoy those special moments,” said Ambassador Kees van Baar.

Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam Hilde Solbakken.

Meanwhile, Ms. Hilde Solbakken, Norwegian Ambassador, said that she and her family love Vietnam and especially Hanoi. “We love the bustling street life and are very impressed with the hard-working culture of the Vietnamese people. We really feel very comfortable like at home.

So, this year, I think we will enjoy some quiet days in Hanoi at the beginning of Tet. We will wander around the Old Quarter in Hanoi. Of course, we will decorate the peach tree in our house and will hang our wishes on the tree. Hopefully, we will also visit some of the beautiful pagodas in Hanoi,” said Ambassador Hilde Solbakken.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dai-su-cac-nuoc-noi-ve-net-dac-biet-cua-ngay-tet-o-viet-nam-302578.html