Still wrapping banh chung, watching Tao Quan on the 30th night... like at home
Nostalgia and nostalgia are inevitable feelings for every Vietnamese student studying abroad every time Tet comes and spring returns. Dam Thi Bac - a student of Journalism at P.E. Lumumba University of Friendship of Peoples of Russia (Moscow, Russian Federation) - is no exception. This year is the fourth consecutive year that Bac has not celebrated Tet with her family in Vietnam.
"Seeing my friends in Vietnam showing off their moments celebrating Tet with their loved ones, I feel a bit sad and miss home a lot. This feeling is doubled when Tet falls during a time in Russia when it is very cold and the scenery is sad" - Bac confided.
However, Bac always receives updates from his family about the Tet holiday in Vietnam, which helps to ease his sadness. "Every year, I always make a video call to celebrate New Year's Eve with my family in Vietnam," Bac said.
In addition, although studying and living half a world away from Vietnam, the young student always feels warm because of the love and care of her friends, the international student community and the Vietnamese community living in Russia.
"Vietnamese people in Russia live very closely together, especially international students. When Tet comes, everyone will gather together to wrap banh chung, boil chicken, make gio and other traditional dishes; watch Tao Quan together, and celebrate New Year's Eve...
Vietnamese students also organized very grand Tet celebrations. I still remember the moment when everyone was moved when listening to the song "Tet Xa" in last year's program" - Bac said.
Tet is encapsulated in the word "remember" which is also the feeling of Tran Cong Tam Anh - a student of International Relations, P.E Lumumba University of Friendship of Peoples of Russia (Moscow, Russian Federation). Tam Anh is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Youth Union, member of the Secretariat of the Association of Vietnamese Students in the Russian Federation - a person who directly participates in organizing movements and activities of international students, including Tet programs.
"Every time I call home, I just want to cry" - Tam Anh said and said that 4 years of celebrating Tet away from home are 4 years that help her mature and train her character.
Tam Anh said that there are many international students in Russia and everyone always tries to celebrate Tet together, even during the busy exam period. All Youth Unions and Student Associations at universities organize Tet celebrations on different scales.
"People plan to celebrate Tet very early and always try to overcome difficulties. For example, in Russia, there are no apricot or peach blossoms, so people have to go into the forest to cut tree branches and attach fake flowers...
Everyone also watched the pot of banh chung together, cooked traditional dishes - all dishes with hard-to-find ingredients. I am from the South so I was "specially" given 2 banh tet. The atmosphere was very cozy" - Tam Anh said.
Each student is a Vietnamese cultural ambassador.
For Tam Anh and many other Vietnamese students studying abroad, Tet is not only an occasion to turn to family and homeland with many emotions, but also an opportunity to promote the image of the country and people of Vietnam, bringing Vietnamese cultural traditions closer to international friends.
"When we celebrate Tet at university, students from other countries do not understand the activities we are doing. If I learn Russian well and have a rich vocabulary, I will confidently explain and introduce the traditional Tet and the beauty of Vietnamese culture" - Tam Anh said, adding that in Tet celebration programs, Vietnamese students often invite international students from other countries to participate.
