Illustrative image
Curious, I picked it up to look at it. The envelope didn't say who it was addressed to. I opened it, and inside was a pale yellow card with neat handwriting, unclear whether it was male or female: "December 2025, Mom, I miss you, I miss our corner of the house, I miss the tamarind tree, I miss the earthenware jar full of cool rainwater..."
Someone dropped a love letter. Reading the last line, my eyes welled up with tears. I remembered my father, the house by the river where I lived as a child, and my childhood filled with memories.
In the cool December weather, every child feels a pang of nostalgia for their distant homeland, for their father and mother. A feeling of excitement. A lump in their throat. An indescribable longing.
My father was a simple man. I only came to understand him more clearly, like any other child, after he was no longer with me. He lived and loved his family wholeheartedly. Throughout his life, day by day, hour by hour, he carried that love with him as a mission.
Now, Tet (Vietnamese New Year) is approaching again. It's been two years since my father passed away. Two years since I've felt his warmth. But I'm not sad. I think what my father wanted to see in me and my siblings, what he wanted to see in my mother...
It wasn't about sitting huddled up, sobbing with longing in the final days of December. I knew Dad wanted to see us smile. He wanted to see new shoots sprouting on the delicate yet strong branches of the apricot blossom tree.
Father longs to see the gentle, cool golden sunlight of Tet (Lunar New Year) falling on the doorstep. He longs to see a prosperous and peaceful home, even though he is no longer here.
So, a few days ago, when I heard someone say that in a few years there will be no more Lunar New Year's Eve... I felt a pang of sadness, a pang of regret. But then I realized that this sadness and regret was one of the countless emotions I could choose. So I chose happiness.
I chose to celebrate Tet in abundance. I think that's what Dad wants to see most of all. I stood up and found my notebook. The third entry read, "Buy two pairs of marigolds for Tet." Dad loves marigolds the most.
Once upon a time, back when my mother used to have Aunt Ba Be sew my New Year's outfits, back when I was a little girl my mother liked to style my hair in two buns like Na Tra, our old house was in a rural area, far from the town. My house was a stilt house, next to the river.
What I enjoy most is lying stretched out in the backyard, reading a book, and smelling the water, the rain, and the rice fields carried on the breeze.
My father was a farmer, he cast nets, repaired bicycles... he did all sorts of jobs to earn a living and raise the children. My mother sold coffee and did housework. My three siblings and I grew up in that peaceful setting of fields and rivers, in a way that, to put it more dramatically, is "etched in our hearts," forever etched in our memories.
I remember a week before Tet, my mother would buy red patterned wallpaper, mix flour into a paste, and stick the floral paper onto the wooden wall. She would hang decorative balls, skillfully cut from shimmering ribbons in various shades of red, yellow, and green, from the ceiling.
The round ball could spin, with four long tassels hanging from its four corners. After the Lunar New Year celebrations were over, my mother would take the ball down, carefully store it in a bag, and hang it up again the following year as a decoration. I loved that ribbon ball.
Whenever I leaned on my hand, nibbling on sunflower seeds, eating candied winter melon, and looking up at the spinning globe, a child's mind would wander, filled with countless thoughts, without beginning or end, form or shape. That globe in my childhood memories.
My father, every Tet holiday, would always buy a small potted apricot blossom tree and a pair of marigolds for his table. He loved ornamental apricot blossom trees and enjoyed sitting and drinking tea while admiring them. I once thought about buying a plot of land and filling the yard with apricot blossom trees for him to admire to his heart's content, but I never managed to do it. Now, he's gone.
Sometimes, I have a feeling that in countless future Lunar New Year celebrations, my father will still be sitting on the stone bench in front of our house, slowly sipping tea and admiring his New Year's apricot blossom tree with all the contemplation, peace, and serenity. He will always be our loving father.
I've experienced it all, the happiest, most peaceful, and most joyful Tet holidays. And I've also experienced Tet holidays when we missed our father terribly. But I want to say this to myself, to my family, to my beloved mother...
I hope that my whole family will always be healthy and safe. I know Mom will be sad to see the apricot blossom tree still with its leaves intact in the middle of December, untouched by anyone pruning it... But everything will be alright. Everything will pass. We are still here. Tet is life.
Because life always lasts longer than loss. Because love always lasts longer than sorrow. Tet gives us an opportunity to reflect on each year with gratitude and inspiration. We will fill our hearts with all the bright hope we can muster.
From above, when a father sees his family, he will see a home always filled with love. He will smile.
We invite readers to participate in the writing contest.
A warm spring day
As a special treat for the Lunar New Year, Tuoi Tre newspaper, in partnership with INSEE Cement Company, continues to invite readers to participate in the "Springtime Home" writing contest to share and introduce your home – your warm and cozy haven, its features, and unforgettable memories.
The house where your grandparents, parents, and you were born and raised; the house you built yourself; the house where you celebrated your first Tet (Lunar New Year) with your small family... all can be submitted to the competition to introduce to readers nationwide.
The article "A Warm Spring Home" must not have previously entered any writing competition or been published in any media or social networks. The author is responsible for copyright, the organizing committee has the right to edit, and the author will receive royalties if the article is selected for publication in Tuoi Tre publications.
The competition will take place from December 1, 2025 to January 15, 2026, and all Vietnamese people, regardless of age or profession, are welcome to participate.
The article "A Warm Home on a Spring Day" in Vietnamese should be a maximum of 1,000 words. Including photos and videos is encouraged (photos and videos taken from social media without copyright will not be accepted). Entries will only be accepted via email; postal mail will not be accepted to avoid loss.
Entries should be sent to the email address maiamngayxuan@tuoitre.com.vn.
Authors must provide their address, phone number, email address, bank account number, and citizen identification number so that the organizers can contact them and send royalties or prizes.
Staff and employees of Tuoi Tre newspaper and their family members may participate in the "Warm Home in Spring" writing contest, but they will not be considered for prizes. The organizing committee's decision is final.
The Springtime Shelter Award Ceremony and the Launch of the Youth Spring Special Edition
The judging panel, comprising renowned journalists and cultural figures along with representatives from Tuoi Tre newspaper, will review and award prizes based on the preliminary entries.
The awards ceremony and launch of the Tuoi Tre Spring special issue are scheduled to be held at Nguyen Van Binh Book Street, Ho Chi Minh City, at the end of January 2026.
Prize:
1st prize: 10 million VND + certificate, Tuoi Tre Spring issue;
1 second prize: 7 million VND + certificate, Tuoi Tre Spring issue;
1 third prize: 5 million VND + certificate, Tuoi Tre Spring issue;
5 consolation prizes: 2 million VND each + certificate, Tuoi Tre Spring issue.
10 Readers' Choice Awards: 1 million VND each + certificate, Tuoi Tre Spring Edition.
The voting points are calculated based on interaction with the post, where 1 star = 15 points, 1 heart = 3 points, and 1 like = 2 points.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dieu-cha-mong-uoc-20251206092408322.htm
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