With the desire to bring a warm and joyful Tet holiday to children, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, in the run-up to the Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026, various levels of government, departments, and schools in the province have been organizing many activities to care for them during Tet, creating opportunities for them to play and experience the festive atmosphere.
Warm gifts
At the age of 10, Nguyen Vo Tuan Anh (living in rented accommodation in Tran Bien ward, Dong Nai province) had to drop out of school early. Tuan Anh said: "My father passed away, and my mother single-handedly sells lottery tickets to support my three siblings and me. The cost of living and rent each month has become a heavy burden on my mother's shoulders. Therefore, after finishing only the second grade, Tuan Anh asked to quit school to sell lottery tickets to help his mother support his younger siblings."
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| Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union and President of the Provincial Children's Council, Nguyen Tran Phuong Ha, presents scholarships to children in Dak O commune at the "Spring Journey to the Border - Loving Tet" event in 2026. Photo: Nga Son |
Since dropping out of school, Tuan Anh has spent every day wandering around Bien Hoa market and the surrounding streets selling lottery tickets, selling around 200 tickets a day. Lunar New Year is approaching, but for Tuan Anh, the holiday is just like any other day – he still wears his old clothes, his hat, and carries his familiar bag to sell lottery tickets. During the holiday, many people want to try their luck and buy more lottery tickets than usual, so he also takes advantage of the opportunity to sell tickets to earn extra income to help his mother.
Understanding the plight of children selling lottery tickets, in this year's Spring of Love program, the Dong Nai Children's House presented Tuan Anh with a Tet gift. The gift wasn't large, but it included rice, essential necessities, sweets, and lucky money envelopes to help Tuan Anh and his mother have a more fulfilling Tet holiday.
Mr. Truong Hai Thi, Director of the Dong Nai Children's House, shared: "Spring of Love is a program organized annually by the Children's House before the Lunar New Year. As in previous years, this year the Children's House is giving 300 Tet gifts to disadvantaged children, children of workers and laborers in difficult circumstances, and children selling lottery tickets in Tran Bien ward and some neighboring wards. Especially this year, the Dong Nai Children's House also organized visits and gift-giving in border areas, giving gifts to children who are sponsored by various units, and also giving gifts to 22 soldiers of the Dak O Border Guard Post…"
According to Nguyen Tran Phuong Ha, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union and President of the Provincial Children's Council: Regarding activities to care for children during Tet (Lunar New Year), especially those in difficult circumstances, the Youth Union, Association, and Children's Council coordinated the "Spring Journey to the Border - Tet of Love 2026" in Dak O commune with activities such as: a "zero-cost" booth, folk games, free food stalls; life skills education for children; and the donation of ceremonial uniforms, scholarships, and Tet gifts to children in difficult circumstances. In the "Giving Love - Sending Smiles" program held at the Provincial Social Work Center and the Phuc Lam Shelter for the Needy, the Youth Union, Association, and Children's Council organized games and donated milk, teddy bears, etc., to the children being cared for there. In addition, there were many other activities to show love to children in remote, mountainous, and border areas of the province.
Experience the Tet atmosphere early.
In addition to giving gifts to underprivileged children, various levels of government, departments, and schools in the province also organize many activities to help children experience the Tet atmosphere early and learn about the traditional Tet holiday through diverse forms.
Participating in the program, children had the opportunity to experience traditional folk games with prizes, calligraphy stalls, and a traditional food area. Wanting to experience the atmosphere of the traditional Tet holiday, Tu Nguyen Minh Thu, a 7th-grade student from the Asian Bilingual Primary, Secondary, and High School (in Tran Bien ward), arrived at the Dong Nai Children's House early. Minh Thu said: "Because I arrived early, I was able to participate in almost all the activities, from watching lion dances and the 'Celebrating the Party - Celebrating Spring' art program to experiencing folk games, handicrafts, and physical activities with prizes; watching calligraphy; and experiencing the food area with traditional dishes… All of these contributed to creating a warm, joyful, and culturally rich Vietnamese Tet atmosphere."
In addition to the above programs, the Youth Union, Associations, and Teams in the province also organized the "Sharing Tet with Young Workers' Families" program - donating backpacks, school supplies, teddy bears, toys, milk, and sweets to the children of young workers employed at the Long Thanh Team (Dong Nai Rubber Corporation)... helping to bring the children a warm and loving Tet holiday.
Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union, Chairman of the Provincial Children's Council NGUYEN TRAN PHUONG HA
Along with decorating for Tet (Lunar New Year), schools throughout the province are bustling with activities such as spring festivals and camps in the days leading up to the Lunar New Year. Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Minh, Deputy Secretary of the Youth Union at Lac Hong Bilingual Primary, Secondary, and High School (in Tran Bien ward), said: "On the last day of January, the school held the 'Lac Hong Spring Festival' program with many diverse activities, attracting nearly 3,000 students from all levels. This is an activity that the school has maintained for the past three years before the Lunar New Year."
Cao Minh Khánh Ngọc, a student in class 3D at Lac Hong Bilingual Primary, Secondary, and High School, said: "This is the third time I've participated in the 'Colors of Lac Hong' program. In my opinion, the program is very good and beneficial. We got to participate in experience booths making clay figurines, sand paintings, statue painting, calligraphy, balloon art, and Dong Ho folk paintings; booths with traditional games; and food stalls… These activities recreated the beautiful traditions of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year that need to be preserved. Therefore, I hope that in the coming years, the school will continue to organize these meaningful activities so that students have the opportunity to participate and experience them. This will raise awareness and responsibility in each person in preserving and passing on the values of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year."
Nga Son
Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/202602/mang-tet-den-ben-em-64d5cbd/
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