Warm Tet of international students in Ho Chi Minh City

The Lunar New Year of 2024 in Vietnam left unforgettable impressions and memories for Vietnamese students from neighboring Cambodia.

In the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), Ms. Phan Thu Nguyet (born in 1975, residing in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City) takes her adopted daughter, Choun Voleakmakmithona (born in 2004, Cambodian, currently studying at the Ho Chi Minh City University Preparatory School), shopping for Tet supplies. Since adopting Choun Voleakmakmithona, her life has become much more joyful and meaningful.

International students eagerly celebrate Vietnamese New Year

Ms. Thu Nguyet, the head of the Thu Duc City Poetry Club and a member of the Ho Chi Minh City Writers' Association, has adopted four children. However, when adopting her daughter, an international student, she hesitated and worried about the difficulties in communication and cultural differences. Nevertheless, Ms. Nguyet feels very happy to have another obedient and talented foreign daughter. In the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), the two of them have plenty of time to spend together, shopping and celebrating the holiday.

“Singer and musician Xuan Chanh and I jointly adopted two Cambodian children; we took them out for meals, bought them notebooks and clothes so they could feel loved. We both gave love and found joy and happiness in it, helping to strengthen the friendship between the two countries,” Ms. Nguyet expressed.

Mrs. Nguyet also brought her adopted daughter home and taught her how to cook Vietnamese food. Choun Voleakmakmitona really likes Vietnamese pancakes so Mrs. Nguyet especially taught her daughter how to make delicious dipping sauce.

This year, Choun Voleakmakmithona stayed with her foster mother for two days to celebrate Tet (Vietnamese New Year) before returning to Cambodia with her family. Choun Voleakmakmithona shared that she doesn't speak Vietnamese very well yet, so she will try to learn to write so she can confide in her foster mother at night, tell her she loves her, and thank her for loving her and taking her out to celebrate Tet. To help her foster daughter understand more about Vietnamese traditions and culture, Ms. Nguyet said she will take her to visit more historical sites and participate in poetry, singing, and cultural activities.

Hen Samart (a 5th-year medical student at Nguyen Tat Thanh University) said she was very excited to celebrate the traditional Lunar New Year in Vietnam. Hen Samart shared that she has lived in Vietnam for 6 years and has noticed the differences between the Lunar New Year celebrations in Vietnam and Cambodia.

Hen Samart (far left) and friends celebrate Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) in Vietnam. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

“Because I have been in Vietnam for a long time, I consider this my second home, so I bought ao dai and conical hat. I am also very excited because during Tet, Vietnamese students have a much longer holiday than in Cambodia. I can go out until the 30th and 1st in Ho Chi Minh City before returning home for the holiday,” Hen Samart said.

Hen Samart shared that she had the opportunity to eat a traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) feast in Ho Chi Minh City, and particularly enjoyed rice with braised pork, banh tet (sticky rice cake), and bitter melon soup. “I found it very interesting to learn that bitter melon soup helps ward off the hardships of the old year and welcome a new year filled with good fortune and happiness. Vietnamese language and culture have become much more interesting to me thanks to meaningful stories like this,” Hen Samart said.

Hen Samart said that due to the nature of her profession, she is often at the hospital, interacting with many patients suffering from serious illnesses. However, during the Lunar New Year, everyone forgets their difficulties and hardships, gathering together to welcome the new year with even greater effort and determination. “I feel the importance of Tet (Lunar New Year) to every Vietnamese person. Even patients undergoing treatment still smile and celebrate Tet with their family members. I love and appreciate life and the wonderful experiences in Vietnam even more,” Hen Samart shared.

Keo Linda (born in 2001, a Cambodian student studying at Nguyen Tat Thanh University) also said that she was very happy to have celebrated Lunar New Year in Vietnam. Linda shared that she was welcomed by the parents of her close friend, a Vietnamese person, to their home in Cu Chi District (Ho Chi Minh City) to celebrate Lunar New Year in 2023 and was very impressed with the customs and cultural traditions of the Vietnamese people during the New Year. What impressed her most was the warm, joyful, and bustling atmosphere of her friend's family buying potted plants, apricot blossom trees, and decorations for Tet. Especially at midnight, after watching the fireworks, she received a lucky money envelope from her friend's mother.

Linda also said that she hopes to celebrate many more Tet holidays in Vietnam so that she won't have any regrets when she returns home. "My time studying in Ho Chi Minh City gave me many memories. My friends' parents also adopted me and welcomed me home for Tet as a member of their family. I felt very warm and it eased my homesickness," Linda said.

THU HOAI

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