Vietnamese people are eager to return to their hometowns for Tet (Lunar New Year).

Preparing for her Lunar New Year trip back home, Kim Ngan, who lives in Falls Church, Virginia, USA, bought gifts for relatives and friends such as medicated oil, candies, and chocolates about 2-3 weeks before returning to Vietnam.

Ms. Ngan said that her job in the US was quite busy, usually only taking one day off a week, so she had to rush to choose gifts after work. According to Ms. Ngan, the prices of goods in the US before returning to Vietnam were stable, so she wasn't too worried.

Eager to return home after many years abroad, Ms. Ngan planned to buy her plane ticket last May to save money, as ticket prices would be very high if purchased closer to Tet (Lunar New Year).

"I decided to buy a round-trip ticket from the US to Vietnam with a Korean airline for $1,800 instead of buying one in December 2022 for nearly $3,000," Ms. Ngan recounted, not forgetting to share how happy she was to be back in Vietnam to celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year) with her family and loved ones after two years of the turbulent COVID-19 pandemic.

Người Việt háo hức về quê ăn Tết - Ảnh 1.

Kim Ngan's family (far right, seated) are ready to celebrate the Lunar New Year 2023 together.

Like Ms. Ngan, Ms. Thu Tran, a product development strategy manager at an international cosmetics company in Warsaw, Poland, booked her plane ticket last summer. She was so excited that she took six months' leave.

According to Ms. Thu, round-trip airfare is very high at the end of the year, but it's usually cheaper after February, so many people wait until after Tet (Lunar New Year) to return home. However, having not been able to return home for Tet for eight years, she decided to go back early.

Ms. Thu even set aside her vacation days last year and arranged to work remotely to have more time with family and friends in Vietnam. This time, Ms. Thu mainly spent her time traveling with her parents, herself, and her two nieces, combining it with a wedding photoshoot because wedding services in Vietnam are quite good.

After five years away from home, Lai Minh Huy, who currently lives and works in Toronto, Canada, began preparing for his return about eight months in advance, from booking his flight to arranging his work schedule for maximum convenience. He also thoughtfully bought gifts for family and friends early on, such as sweets, cosmetics, and vitamins.

Người Việt háo hức về quê ăn Tết - Ảnh 2.

Thu Tran and her husband (right in the photo) are traveling with their family in Vietnam before the Lunar New Year (Photo provided by the subject).

Huy said that plane tickets are very expensive - around 2,500 CAD (over 43 million VND) during peak season - but because he wanted to go home to celebrate Tet with his family, he didn't hesitate at all.

Huy revealed that this time he's returning to Vietnam to take wedding photos and hold his wedding ceremony after a three-year delay due to the pandemic. Longing to be with his family, for Huy, simply being together with loved ones is enough!

Equally enthusiastic, Danny Le, a business analyst at Cuscal, shared that he brought back mostly typical Australian products (he lives in Sydney) as gifts, including cherries, beef, and macadamia nuts.

To ensure a smooth trip home after three years away, Danny Le thoughtfully placed his orders about 2-3 weeks in advance to ensure he had plenty of fruits and nuts and to maintain their freshness. Since airfares are quite high at the end of the year, Danny Le arranged to buy his tickets five months prior.

Danny Le's plans for this Tet holiday include visiting family and friends, as well as taking the opportunity to travel to various provinces and cities to enjoy Vietnamese specialties.

Source