Early Tet celebration at a school in the highlands.

- In the final days of the year, as the cold winds sweep in, Tet (Lunar New Year) usually arrives earlier at boarding and semi-boarding schools in the province. This isn't because of a rush to close out the old year, but because in places where students live together, Tet can hardly wait until the exact day. The schools choose to keep Tet within the school grounds, so that the students can have a complete spring season before leaving the classroom, leaving the dormitory, and returning to their villages, to the embrace of their parents.

Students from Cao Loc Ethnic Boarding Secondary and High School (Ky Lua Ward) participate in making banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) to celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year) early at the school.

The province currently has 11 ethnic boarding schools, with nearly 5,000 students living and studying together throughout the school year; in addition, there are 84 ethnic semi-boarding schools, where more than 16,000 students study and live daily in conditions that are still very different from those in the lowlands. These figures show that organizing Tet celebrations in highland schools is not only an annual event but also linked to the responsibility of caring for the students' lives.

In boarding schools, celebrating Tet (Lunar New Year) early has almost become a familiar tradition. At the Provincial Ethnic Boarding High School, every year leading up to Tet, the school proactively organizes activities to welcome the spring within the school grounds, allowing students to experience the Tet atmosphere before returning home. From wrapping banh chung (traditional rice cakes) and preparing the New Year's Eve dinner to folk games and group activities, all activities are subtly integrated into boarding life, creating a joyful atmosphere while helping students understand and preserve the familiar customs of the traditional Tet holiday. Luong Thi Huyen Dieu, a student in class 12A1, from Dong Tien village, Na Sam commune, shared: "This is the third time I've celebrated Tet early with my teachers and friends; it feels very warm, less homesick, and for me, Tet at school is a memorable experience before returning home to celebrate Tet with my family."

According to our findings, in addition to experiential activities, the school also pays attention to visiting and giving gifts to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, so that no student leaves school to return home feeling empty and lacking.

The early Tet celebration at the boarding school is not noisy or elaborate, but it is meticulously and systematically prepared within the daily routine. The pots of sticky rice cakes are lit not for photo shoots or to show off achievements, but for students to directly participate in the entire process, from washing leaves, rinsing rice, preparing beans, marinating meat, to wrapping the cakes and tending the stove in the chilly end-of-year weather. In addition, the preparation of the New Year's Eve meal, the arrangement of the Tet feast, the decoration of the boarding school's living space, the organization of folk games, and cultural exchanges are all thoughtfully organized, creating a joyful atmosphere for teachers and students before the long holiday. Each activity is naturally integrated, allowing students to experience traditional Tet customs while also developing their teamwork skills, sense of sharing, and bond with friends and teachers. Some children learned to wrap banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) for the first time, some understood for the first time why Tet is not just a holiday but a time for family reunion, and some quietly brought home the cakes they had wrapped themselves, considering them the most meaningful gift for their parents after a year away from home.

While boarding school provides a full-time stay for students, semi-boarding school presents a different, quieter story. Semi-boarding students study and eat at school during the day, returning home in the evening or staying at the school depending on their family's specific circumstances. Some students live far away, and the journey is difficult, so they have to stay at school for many days in a row; others go home every day, but their families face many hardships. This "in-between" situation makes Tet (Lunar New Year) for semi-boarding students easily overlooked if the school doesn't proactively organize it. Therefore, organizing Tet depends heavily on the flexibility of teachers and the cooperation of the community. In some places, schools mobilize additional support from parents, while in others, they seek assistance from local organizations and businesses. For example, at Kien Moc Ethnic Minority Semi-Boarding Primary School, the school proactively connects with and mobilizes organizations and individuals each year to visit, donate gifts, and support students during Tet. According to Ms. Nong Thi Binh, the school's Vice Principal: for boarding students, celebrating Tet early sometimes isn't about material value, but about the feeling of being cared for and shared equally among teachers, friends, and classmates.

In the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), the workload for teachers in boarding and semi-boarding schools increases significantly, from managing student activities and preparing the communal kitchen to organizing end-of-year activities. The work is heavier and more strenuous, but it is during this time that the distance between teachers and students is shortened, as the students celebrate Tet with their teachers right in the schoolyard. From very specific activities like making traditional cakes together, preparing the New Year's Eve meal, and participating in group activities, the school gradually becomes a true shared home. Besides ensuring sufficient classrooms, kitchens, and accommodation, schools also focus on caring for the students' spiritual well-being, so that they don't lose touch with the traditional Tet atmosphere. For ethnic minority students, these activities help them understand the customs of their own communities more deeply, so that Tet is not just a short holiday, but becomes a cultural memory associated with their school life.

The Lunar New Year 2026 is fast approaching. For boarding and semi-boarding students in Lang Son , the holiday doesn't begin with a calendar, but with the simmering pot of sticky rice cakes in the schoolyard, with the year-end meal shared by teachers, friends, and everyone else. These seemingly small things help the students enter the holiday with a lighter, warmer heart, so that when they return to their villages, they carry with them a spring full of cherished memories.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/tet-som-trong-san-truong-vung-cao-5070078.html