It has become a tradition that every time the Lunar New Year is approaching, a few friends I know in the US often call me to register with the Vietnamese Embassy in Washington DC and the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations in New York to register to attend Xuan Que Huong, to celebrate the traditional New Year of the nation.
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| Art performance at the Community Tet - Homeland Spring 2025 program, evening of January 16. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in the United States) |
This year is the same, when Tet At Ty is still more than a month away, but they called me back to register together to attend Tet and the Homeland Spring program organized by the Embassy and Permanent Mission of Vietnam in New York.
This event is always attended by many guests and international friends who are closely associated with Vietnam. And as usual, some overseas Vietnamese from all over the United States also come to attend the Homeland Spring Program on the occasion of the traditional Tet holiday of the Vietnamese people.
Recreating tradition
The Homeland Spring Program is a place for us, the overseas Vietnamese, to meet, exchange, chat, and share... about the traditional Tet of the Vietnamese people living and working here. The Lunar New Year of the Vietnamese people in the US is not only a traditional Tet, imbued with the Vietnamese culture. It is also a clear intersection for the maintenance and development of the traditional cultural values of the nation. Especially Vietnamese culture in the heart of the United States in the trend of increasingly deep integration of our country in the international arena.
Although living far from home, the Vietnamese community in the US always carries in their hearts the warm and complete Tet holiday like the spring days in their homeland. Tet celebrations such as organizing Tet markets, festivals and traditional rituals are still maintained and developed strongly through time and space.
Although far from home, thanks to the development of technology and convenient travel, almost every Vietnamese person in the US always feels like they are celebrating Tet in their homeland. Almost everyone wraps banh chung, banh tet, and pickled onions... and does not forget to prepare small, red envelopes to give Tet lucky money to children - wishing them to study better in the new year. Wishing the elderly a new year of good health.
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| Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Dung speaks at the Tet Community - Homeland Spring 2025 program organized by the Embassy on January 16. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in the US) |
When writing about our Lunar New Year, I cannot forget Mr. Larry. An American who was attached to and loved Vietnam. He passed away a few years ago. I have a deep impression that he was very passionate about the traditional Tet of Vietnam. Those years, when flying from Hanoi to the US on Christmas, he often brought with him many souvenirs of Tet in Hanoi . And he also shared with me many memories of a very Vietnamese Tet. Those beautiful memories followed him even in his dreams.
As for his family in the US, I also visited during Tet. She is Vietnamese so I understand that he really likes the taste of Vietnamese Tet. They decorated the house like a family in Vietnam. There is still an altar to worship ancestors, full of incense and fruit trays, cakes... On the left of the altar is a mai tree with golden buds. On the right is a peach branch with pink buds in a beautiful ceramic vase. As for the kumquat tree, the fruit looks like "cast gold" on the green leaves, placed next to the table in the living room.
Mr. Larry and I have many profound memories but I cannot write them all in this short article. Those are my memories of Americans who are very affectionate, grateful, and meaningful... to Vietnam.
Preserve identity
As for our overseas Vietnamese in general, they always keep the traditional customs of preparing for Tet. In the days before Tet, families often clean and decorate their houses together to welcome a lucky new year. Yellow apricot blossoms, pink peach blossoms or kumquat trees... in the house bring a cozy and spring-like feeling. Almost every family has a full Tet altar with a tray of five fruits, fresh flowers, incense and candles to commemorate their ancestors.
It is a traditional form of filial piety and a wish for a peaceful and prosperous new year. Preparing banh chung and banh tet is an indispensable part of Vietnamese people in the United States. Many families of grandparents, parents, and children gather to wrap banh chung, reminisce about old Tet stories, and educate their children about traditional cultural values.
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| The Vietnamese calligrapher's booth had to work at full capacity at the Community Tet - Homeland Spring 2025. |
Now that there is online shopping, for busy people, Vietnamese food stores in the US also provide everything. Even Tet specialties, from spring rolls, pickled onions, seaweed wrappers... to candies, tea, coffee... help people more conveniently prepare for Tet.
Vietnamese markets in the US during Tet are as full as those in Vietnam. Every year, Vietnamese markets organize a series of events to welcome the New Year. From flower markets, food fairs, to special cultural programs such as lion dances, folk songs from three regions of Vietnam, water puppetry... Women compete in colorful, inspiring and charming Ao Dai performances... Booths selling Chung cakes, Tet cakes, Tet jams and peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, and kumquat trees bring out the cultural essence of traditional Vietnamese Tet.
Spread the memory
With a variety of Tet activities such as cultural exhibitions, art programs, food festivals... the Tet atmosphere becomes vibrant and exciting. And the Vietnamese Tet atmosphere has inspired many people from different cultures around the world. They also come to see and buy many things for themselves and as souvenirs for friends.
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| Delegates attended the Homeland Spring - Community Tet organized by the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations on the evening of January 25. The event was attended by about 500 guests who are members of the Vietnamese community and American friends in New York and surrounding areas. |
Among them, I asked a girl named Lisa, with shiny blonde hair and rosy cheeks in the cold weather. Standing next to her and holding her arm was her boyfriend, with curly brown hair, fair skin and blue eyes, named John. I asked both of them how they felt about Vietnamese culture during the Vietnamese Tet market here. She quickly answered for her boyfriend who was confused by my unexpected question: "Very bustling, very happy, rich in goods, beautiful colors... My parents really like Vietnamese markets and Vietnamese culture. That's why my parents introduced me and my boyfriend here to learn more about Vietnam. A unique and attractive culture. Especially, Vietnamese people are very happy and friendly. Happy, very happy... to be here, thank you for asking".
So, the Vietnamese markets here are always bustling during the days before Tet. The stalls are displayed with colors imbued with Vietnamese culture. The goods are diverse, serving all shopping needs of Vietnamese people and tourists from all over the world. The Vietnamese in the land of the flag have brought a cozy atmosphere of a Tet imbued with traditional Vietnamese culture.
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| Performing arts at Spring Homeland - Community Tet in New York, USA. |
As I was typing these lines, I received a few messages from people on my phone. They were Vietnamese people I knew here. They were texting me asking me to participate in the Homeland Spring Program and welcome the Year of the Snake 2025. Previously, some of them did not know that Vietnam had these two agencies located in Washington DC and New York.
But since the Politburo's Resolution 36 on overseas Vietnamese and thanks to the development of the media, the active activities of the Vietnamese Representative Office in the US..., they have better understood the guidelines and policies of our Party and State. And they know about these two permanent offices and really want to participate in the activities organized by these two offices, especially every time Tet comes and Spring comes.
And since then, they consider this place as a spiritual support for Vietnamese people living far from home. Therefore, there are years when the Spring Program is held when the weather is cold and snowy, but they are still very eager to attend. The Spring Homeland Program here is like a spiritual food for Vietnamese people when Tet comes, Spring is indispensable in the Vietnamese community in the land of the flag.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/xuan-que-huong-tet-cong-dong-giu-net-dep-van-hoa-viet-nam-giua-long-nuoc-my-302534.html
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