Foreigners tell stories about celebrating Tet in Nghe An

French volunteer Sibylle Cavn wears ao dai during Tet celebrations in Vinh. Photo: NVCC

Having lived and volunteered in Vinh City for more than 6 months, Sibylle Cavn is very excited to see people here busy shopping and cleaning to prepare for Tet. Having studied and lived in South Korea, a country that uses the lunar calendar, this French volunteer said that New Year's Day in Korea is not celebrated as grandly as in Vietnam.

“In Vietnam, Tet is really a very lively party. The atmosphere is very interesting,” Sibylle shared.

Since the days before Tet, Sibylle said she was very excited to see the streets decorated with lots of lights, flowers, and more people walking around than usual.

Foreign tourists wearing Ao Dai visit Quang Trung Temple on Tet holiday. Photo: Vuong Bang

Sibylle said she was delighted to see peach trees, apricot trees, and orange-fruited trees - which her Vietnamese friends later introduced to her as kumquat trees - being sold on the sidewalks. "Walking around the city, I saw a lot of red lanterns, banners, or heard lively Tet songs being played from the shops," she said.

Sibylle and her friends also had the opportunity to wear Ao Dai and take pictures in front of peach and apricot trees. During the Vietnamese New Year holidays, Sibylle traveled to Taiwan to explore other Eastern cultures.

Meanwhile, this year, Marco Mariette - a French volunteer and Samuel Desjardins - a Canadian English teacher, went on a trip to the central provinces. Marco said that this was the first time he celebrated Tet in Vietnam.

Before coming to Vietnam, he had read about Tet in books and newspapers, but experiencing Tet himself gave him his own impressions. To feel Tet more, Samuel and Marco planned to travel to cities like Hue, Da Nang, and Hoi An during Tet. During this time, they had the opportunity to feel more of the hospitality of the Vietnamese people.

On this occasion, you have the opportunity to feel more the hospitality of the Vietnamese people.

Dustin Gerding celebrates the Lunar New Year with Vietnamese friends. Photo: NVCC

As for Dustin Gerding, an American tourist visiting Vinh city during Tet, he said he purposely visited on this occasion because he spent three years teaching English and living in President Ho Chi Minh's hometown.

"I have very special feelings for the land and people of Nghe An," Dustin said, adding that he has visited 20 countries and experienced many big and small holidays, but he still cannot forget the feeling of celebrating Tet with Vietnamese friends.

Western tourists enjoy taking photos at the apricot market on Tet holiday in Vinh City. Photo: Vuong Bang

During his years living and working in Vinh city, Dustin said that he was often invited by friends to come home to celebrate Tet and to visit families to wish them a happy new year. Like many Vietnamese people, for the American Dustin, Tet is also an occasion he looks forward to every year when living in the country that he considers his second home. For this reason, Dustin decided to return to Vietnam, to Vinh city to visit old friends, the people he considers his "family" on Tet holiday.

“When I come here during Tet, I feel like I have returned home with warm arms and a sense of comfort. I hope to be able to celebrate Tet in Vinh for the rest of my life. Maybe one day, I will marry a Vietnamese person and celebrate Tet here with my wife,” Dustin shared.