A family of 13, spanning three generations, brought banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) onto the train to celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year).

On the last train of the Year of the Dragon, arriving at Hanoi station, many families, instead of celebrating Tet at home, chose to bring banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) and gio lua (Vietnamese pork sausage) onto the train to welcome the New Year.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Ha, 43 years old ( Bac Giang City), said that traditionally, his family celebrates Tet at home every year. This year, his extended family of 13 people, spanning 3 generations, with the oldest being 70 years old and the youngest 9 years old, chose to celebrate Tet in an unprecedented way – by welcoming the New Year on a train.

"Taking advantage of the Tet holiday break, we decided to take a train to Quy Nhon together. My family brought along banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes), gio lua (Vietnamese pork sausage)... In general, we chose whatever traditional Tet items we had to celebrate the Lunar New Year," Mr. Ha shared.

Nguyen Ngoc Ha's family of 13, spanning three generations, completes the procedures to board a train on New Year's Eve. Photo: N. Huyen

Unable to hide her excitement, Nguyen Ngoc Anh (a fourth-year student at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Vietnam National University, Hanoi) said that the first time she rode a train was when she was in the second grade.

"Therefore, I'm extremely excited to be traveling by train on such a special occasion as New Year's Eve. Moreover, being able to travel with my family members makes me feel incredibly thrilled," Ngoc Anh said.

Meanwhile, 17-year-old Nguyen Ngoc Thuy Linh hopes not to miss the fireworks display even while traveling by train. Her whole family chose a Lunar New Year holiday trip on the train, hoping that her grandparents can enjoy their old age, and the younger generation can fully enjoy their childhood before growing up. Her parents will also feel the bond of family by traveling together across generations.

Artist Phan Thi Minh Bach participates in painting on the last train of the year. Photo: N. Huyen.

It's not just many families who choose to travel on a train on New Year's Eve. The last train of the year also features a rather special presence – the families of the artists who participated in creating the "Spring Train" artwork.

Artist Phan Thi Minh Bach happily shared that in March 2024, for the first time, a group of more than 20 Vietnamese artists participated in painting images of the "Hue - Da Nang Heritage Journey" on the hulls of ships. In just three days, many vivid scenes of the heritage regions of these two provinces were depicted.

This idea, which has been underway for nearly a month, continues with the group of artists painting on the train's two communal compartments with the theme "The Train Arriving in Spring." To continue the inspiration for the onboard paintings, the final train journey on New Year's Eve, departing at 10:22 PM, will have 12 artists aboard to create their artwork throughout the Tet holiday.

Passengers leisurely board the train for a spring excursion. Photo: N. Huyen

Among these 12 artists, many brought their children along, such as artist Dao Tuan, who "shared" one child with his wife to care for, while he brought one son along. One female artist, who had a small family, brought both of her children on the ship.

Despite being busy with both creating art and taking care of their children, the artists all felt very happy to share their work with the community. This will be the motivation for them to strive to create at least 100 paintings to be displayed at Hanoi train station on the 6th day of Tet after completing their trip.

Sharing more about the first-ever New Year's Eve train service organized at a community station, Mr. Dang Sy Manh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietnam Railways Corporation, said that, as usual, the Corporation will operate trains through the night of New Year's Eve to serve the travel needs of the people.

"Understanding the trend of people and many families wanting to travel and experience new things during the Lunar New Year, this year the Corporation is organizing a New Year's Eve overnight train service with community stations to bring unique cultural features and recreational activities to serve passengers during the Tet holiday."

With these trains, we don't prioritize profit; it's about serving the transportation needs of the people. In many years, passengers have missed their journeys or, due to various circumstances, been unable to return home during peak travel periods, so they choose to travel on New Year's Eve.

Mr. Dang Sy Manh shared this with reporters. Photo: N. Huyen

And this year, too, we want to bring passengers the Tet holiday experience. In particular, we want to show passengers a flexible railway industry serving the community by bringing cultural elements, folk games, and traditional Tet activities onto the trains...

"Not only on the trains but also at the stations, the railway industry is moving towards a direction where trains are part of the experiential tourism segment, and stations are destinations. During peak seasons like Tet and holidays, the railway industry always organizes practical activities both at the stations and on the trains. Along the route, they also beautify the roads so that tourists can see, admire, and take photos," Mr. Pham Sy Manh informed.

Reportedly, on the 29th day of the Lunar New Year, there were 22 trains running, including 17 Thong Nhat trains and 5 local trains. Ten trains ran on New Year's Eve alone. Specifically, the Thong Nhat SE1 train from Hanoi station carried a total of 430 passengers, with 113 boarding at Hanoi station. The SE4 train from Saigon station carried a total of 995 passengers throughout the journey.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/gia-dinh-13-nguoi-3-the-he-mang-banh-chung-len-tau-an-tet-2367249.html