Vietnamese Gen Z celebrates Tet (Lunar New Year) abroad.

"Wherever I go, I always remember my homeland. The village square, the well, the banyan tree in front of the temple." As Tet approaches, these verses by author Quoc Phuong resonate, especially among Vietnamese people living abroad.

Studying and working abroad means they don't have the opportunity to return to Vietnam for Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year), but young people of Generation Z still remember and want to preserve Vietnamese traditions in foreign lands.

Gen Z Việt đón Tết nơi xứ người- Ảnh 1. — A picture of the Tet (Lunar New Year) feast prepared by Huong's family in the US.

Despite living and working in Australia for eight years, every Lunar New Year, Nguyen Dieu Linh's (born in 1999) family still maintains the tradition of giving lucky money and visiting temples in Melbourne to pray for blessings. "I remember during the Covid-19 pandemic, relatives stayed up late at night wrapping and cooking sticky rice cakes (banh chung) to give to those who couldn't return home for Tet. We also carefully gave these cakes to friends and relatives as a wish for a prosperous and warm new year," Linh shared.

However, finding the ingredients to make Vietnamese food is not easy for international students in downtown Australia. "It's very difficult to find banana leaves to wrap banh chung (Vietnamese sticky rice cake), fermented rice paste for making stir-fried snails with banana and tofu, and aromatic herbs like water spinach and sawtooth coriander to create the distinctive flavor of Vietnamese dishes," according to Linh.

Gen Z Việt đón Tết nơi xứ người- Ảnh 2. — Ms. Linh and her friends are making banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) for Tet (Lunar New Year).

Nevertheless, she persevered in preparing the dishes. Ms. Linh said she brought Vietnamese food to the company to introduce to her colleagues, despite facing many wary glances about dishes like snails, durian, and shrimp paste… Gradually, Ms. Linh's Australian colleagues began to love Vietnamese food. “I even brought Tet (Vietnamese New Year) to my company. Vietnamese food is the best,” Ms. Linh said. “Even though I have lived and worked abroad for a long time, I always carry within me a strong belief that every step I take will leave in the hearts of the people there a memory of the Vietnamese people. We don't go abroad to assimilate, but to integrate, to show international friends the beauty of the long-standing culture of the Vietnamese people,” Ms. Linh confided.

Gen Z Việt đón Tết nơi xứ người- Ảnh 3. — Ms. Linh is decorating for Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) at her company in Australia.

Gen Z Việt đón Tết nơi xứ người- Ảnh 4. — Ms. Linh and her family took photos wearing traditional Vietnamese ao dai dresses to celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year).

This year's Tet holiday is another one where Do Thi Huong (born in 2001), a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Massachusetts (USA), won't be returning to Vietnam . As Tet approaches, Huong misses home even more. She confided, "Even though I'm far from home, maintaining Tet customs while living abroad not only preserves traditional culture but also strengthens family bonds."

Gen Z Việt đón Tết nơi xứ người- Ảnh 5. — Huong wore an ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) and took photos in a Tet (Vietnamese New Year) setting in America.

Huong said that her family usually decorates the house to create a festive atmosphere for Tet, prepares offerings to show gratitude to their ancestors, and takes photos with relatives in traditional ao dai costumes. In addition, as a student, Huong often participates in Vietnamese clubs to meet fellow countrymen, exchange cultural experiences, and enjoy the Tet atmosphere while far from home.

Gen Z Việt đón Tết nơi xứ người- Ảnh 6. — Huong's family decorates their home in America for Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year).

Gen Z Việt đón Tết nơi xứ người- Ảnh 7. — Incense sticks used for fortune telling during Tet (Vietnamese New Year) in the US.

Huong has always been proud to be a Vietnamese and considers preserving traditions essential to affirming her identity and spreading beautiful values to international friends. “The younger generation, those living and studying abroad, are special bridges between Vietnam and the world , between tradition and modernity. I always remind myself to remember and preserve my national pride so that no matter where I go, I will never forget my roots,” Huong shared.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/gen-z-viet-don-tet-noi-xu-nguoi-18525012508293998.htm