According to a VNA correspondent in the UK, taking place within the framework of the Eastern and Southeast Asian (ESEA) month initiated by Lewisham district to honor the contributions of the ESEA community in the UK, the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 22 attracted a large number of overseas Vietnamese and local people.
Organized by the Vietnamese Family Foundation (VFP) since 2004 in London, the Mid-Autumn Festival is part of "The Moon Project" to preserve traditional cultural beauty and create connections between the Vietnamese community and local people.
The festival took place in Deptford, one of the areas with the largest overseas Vietnamese population in London. The event included many diverse activities such as making moon cakes, painting masks, making handicrafts, competing in Chinese chess, horse racing, tug of war, bamboo dancing, lion dancing, and Mid-Autumn Festival music and dance performances, which received enthusiastic responses from children born in the UK, many of whom came from Vietnamese-British families.
Cuisine is another attractive feature of the festival when overseas Vietnamese and locals can enjoy a variety of Vietnamese foods, from moon cakes, sweet soups, jams to bun cha, banh mi, nem cuon, etc.
At the festival, VFP also called on overseas Vietnamese through the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK to support compatriots affected by typhoon Yagi .
Attending the event, Minister Counselor, Deputy Ambassador of Vietnam to the UK, To Minh Thu affirmed that the event is not only an opportunity for the community to have fun and enjoy delicious Vietnamese dishes, but also an occasion to remember the traditional values, love and solidarity of people living abroad.
The Deputy Ambassador appreciated the efforts of VFP and sponsors in maintaining this annual festival, and affirmed that the Embassy is always ready to support VFP and the community in preserving and spreading Vietnamese cultural values in the host country.
Notably, this year's event was attended by Mr. Edison Huynh, the first Vietnamese-origin councilor in the UK, in charge of culture and community in Lewisham district, London.
Mr. Edison Huynh shared his childhood memories of the Mid-Autumn Festival, saying that this is the thread that connects him to his roots. Mr. Huynh expressed his joy at witnessing the development of the Vietnamese community in the UK with activities sharing traditional cultural values at events such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, contributing to attracting the attention of British people to Vietnam and raising the understanding of local people about the great contributions of the Vietnamese community to the UK, as well as many other countries in the world .
As the first Vietnamese councillor in the UK elected two years ago, he is delighted that Vietnam is represented in local politics and will do his utmost to ensure the contributions of the Vietnamese community are recognised.
Ms. Quynh Giao Nguyen, founder of VFP, emphasized that from a little-known event, with great efforts to call for the participation of local artists and widely spread culture, the Mid-Autumn Festival has become the largest event of overseas Vietnamese in the UK with thousands of participants, a source of pride for the Vietnamese community in the host country because it brings Vietnamese cultural values and experiences to the local people, contributing to enriching the local culture and enhancing the prestige and image of Vietnamese people in the host country.
According to her, the event also aims to create opportunities for generations of Vietnamese people born and raised in the UK to learn about the origins and traditions of hard work of the nation and create beautiful childhood memories with traditional values of the Vietnamese people.
Taking place in a joyful atmosphere, the festival created an interesting playground for children and Vietnamese families in the UK and locally, and at the same time demonstrated the solidarity, cohesion and growing development of the Vietnamese community in the UK./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/tet-trung-thu-niem-tu-hao-cua-cong-dong-nguoi-viet-tai-anh-post978839.vnp
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