The Vietnamese-Japanese Tet (Lunar New Year) event " New Year: Connection and Exchange" (Oshougatsu 2026), organized by the Vietnam-Japan University at its Hoa Lac campus on January 17th, aimed to provide a space for international students studying in Vietnam, especially Japanese students who did not return home for Tet, to experience traditional Tet culture.
From early morning, the campus was filled with laughter as students washed banana leaves, rinsed sticky rice, prepared the mung bean and pork filling, and learned how to wrap the traditional square-shaped rice cakes. Many students were participating in this process for the first time, from arranging the leaves and adding the filling to tying the strings to ensure the cakes were perfectly square.
Students excitedly show off their homemade green sticky rice cakes. (Photo: Ngo Truong)
Nguyen Quoc Huy, a student in the Smart and Sustainable Agriculture program, said this was the first time he had made banh chung (Vietnamese rice cakes) himself.
"I've seen my family make these cakes at home, but I've never fully experienced it myself. When I wrapped them with my friends and Japanese classmates, I understood the meaning of Tet reunion better and saw Vietnamese culture naturally spreading in an international learning environment," the male student excitedly shared.
Haruka, a Japanese female student in the 10th cohort of the Master's program in Vietnamese Studies, shared that she had known about banh chung (Vietnamese sticky rice cake) through books, but it was only when she directly wrapped the cakes and participated in activities such as calligraphy, receiving auspicious characters for the New Year, or receiving lucky money that she "felt the spirit of Tet (Vietnamese New Year) more clearly."
Every step of the preparation was meticulously planned, creating a vibrant and enthusiastic competitive spirit.
Besides the activity of wrapping banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes), the program also features calligraphy spaces, lucky money booths, Japanese food stalls, displays of traditional fruit platters, and folk games.
The ritual of preparing tea.
A booth at the event.
The female students showed off their calligraphy skills.
Speaking to VTC News online, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Hang, Head of Training and Student Affairs at the Vietnam-Japan University, shared that the idea for the Vietnam-Japan Tet program originated from a Japanese intern who came to study in 2020. At that time, the university had fewer than 100 students studying in Hoa Lac, far from the city center. The cultural experience program has been maintained regularly to this day as part of the university's comprehensive educational orientation.
With its bilateral Vietnam-Japan university cooperation model, the school not only provides specialized knowledge but also focuses on helping students gain a deep understanding of Vietnamese culture and society.
"Lunar New Year is a meaningful occasion for students to clearly feel the spirit of community, connection, and traditional values," Ms. Hang said, adding that this is the first year the school has organized a traditional banh chung (Vietnamese rice cake) wrapping competition for students to increase the challenging atmosphere and foster solidarity.
The program attracted the participation of nearly 600 students, lecturers, and staff members from the Vietnam-Japan University.
Representatives from the school presented gifts to international students.
The group of Japanese schoolgirls were moved to tears upon receiving New Year's gifts from their school.
All the cooked banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) were distributed to students in the dormitory and foreign lecturers. This activity also contributed to spreading the spirit of sharing and community responsibility at the beginning of the new year.
The program concluded in a warm atmosphere as the first pots of rice cakes were taken out of the pot in the late afternoon, leaving behind the impression of an early Lunar New Year celebration rich in cultural experiences, connecting Vietnamese, Japanese, and other international students in an international university environment.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/sinh-vien-dai-hoc-viet-nhat-goi-banh-chung-som-don-tet-viet-nhat-2026-ar998922.html
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