A colorful Tet celebration for Vietnamese students studying abroad.

The springtime experiences of young people living far from home may be diverse, but they all ultimately turn towards their homeland and family.

Bringing the Lunar New Year closer and further away.

Living in an area with few Asians, and with Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) coinciding with exam season, this year's traditional holiday felt somewhat lackluster for Ngan Anh, a European Finance student in Germany. The young woman spent most of her time studying and couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness thinking about her parents back home, whose Tet celebrations were incomplete because their children were all abroad.

Despite her busy schedule, this Lunar New Year, Ngan Anh wanted to take the time to try cooking traditional dishes like banh chung (sticky rice cake), spring rolls, or braised pork with eggs at her German boyfriend's house. "My boyfriend's family really enjoys Vietnamese food and even proactively asked me about the Lunar New Year and the meaning of the 12 zodiac animals."

Ngan Anh showcases her Vietnamese cooking skills in Germany. Photo provided by the subject.

The girl, born in 2003, was very happy to see her ethnic culture being appreciated and accepted in a foreign land. This helped Ngạn Anh alleviate her homesickness.

Meanwhile, Tran Anh Quan, a student studying Artificial Intelligence in Australia, was busy with part-time work during the Lunar New Year holiday. The young man, born in 2004, didn't forget to plan an online New Year's Eve celebration with his family, despite the 4-hour time difference between Australia and Vietnam.

"The moment I heard the sound of fireworks on the phone, my heart ached with homesickness. I felt a little envious seeing pictures of my friends back home wrapping banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes), going out to celebrate Tet, and visiting their teachers," Quân confided about his feelings during last year's Tet holiday.

Anh Quân celebrated New Year's Eve online with his family last year. (Photo provided by the subject)

Celebrating Tet away from home has made this young man from Quang Tri province understand even more the value of family reunion and appreciate what he has. Quan uses his longing for home as motivation to study and develop himself abroad, "so that when I return, my luggage will be filled with things that will make my parents proud."

Keep the "fire" burning in a foreign land.

Fortunately living with the Vietnamese student community, Quỳnh Khanh, a Public Relations & Advertising student, had a lively and warm first Tet (Lunar New Year) in South Korea. Everyone went to the market together, cooked a full meal with boiled chicken, braised pork, pickled eggplant, and gathered around to celebrate New Year's Eve.

The female student from Binh Dinh province said that Koreans also celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year) like Vietnamese people, but only get 3 days off from New Year's Eve to the second day of the new year. The two countries also share many similar customs, such as preparing offerings to ancestors or wearing traditional clothing.

A simple but heartwarming Tet feast prepared by Quynh Khanh and her friends. Photo provided by the subject.

"My Korean friends also took me to eat tteokguk (rice cake soup). People in Korea eat this dish on New Year's Day to celebrate their new age," Quỳnh Khanh excitedly shared.

Khanh Linh, an economics student studying in Canada, was also fortunate enough to celebrate "Vietnamese Tet (Lunar New Year) in the West" with the local Vietnamese community. This year, they plan to hold their annual gathering to celebrate the spring festival together.

"Everyone in the community is very close-knit and loving. My Tet celebration, though simple, is full of Vietnamese cultural traditions, from decorations and feasts to cultural performances. I hope that wherever you are, everyone will have warm and happy Tet holidays," Khánh Linh expressed.

Bringing Vietnamese Tet (Lunar New Year) to the world.

Celebrating Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) away from home for the first time, despite feeling a bit lost and pressured, Anh Thu – an International Relations student in the US – was determined to organize a "Tet party" to invite her international friends to share the joy. This was both a way for the young woman to reciprocate the love and support her friends had shown her, and an opportunity to share her homeland's culture with the world.

Anh Thu treated her friends to fried spring rolls and gave them gifts with a distinctly Vietnamese feel, such as embroidered bags and keychains printed with images of famous landmarks. The girl born in 2003 and her friends danced and sang to spring music and shared stories about the culture of their respective countries.

Anh Thu (in the blue shirt) celebrates Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) with friends from all over the world. Photo provided by the subject.

"As the only Vietnamese person at school, I thought I would be lonely, but unexpectedly, I had friends from all over the world. I will always remember the scene of them attentively listening to me tell them about Tet and Vietnamese culture," Anh Thu confided.

The female student from Binh Duong excitedly recounted her "cultural promotion achievements," such as how international friends were amazed and delighted to see her ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress). "My Honduran roommate even said she would 'bring' ingredients from the US home to make spring rolls for her family," Anh Thu proudly shared.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/tet-nhieu-sac-mau-cua-du-hoc-sinh-viet-noi-xu-nguoi-196250126225923086.htm