Tet comes to Vietnamese markets in the land of kangaroos

With love and devotion to the Fatherland, Vietnamese people in Australia are welcoming the Year of the Horse with all the flavors of their homeland during the traditional Tet holiday.

The place that provides all the special foods for Tet for the Vietnamese community in Australia is the Vietnamese markets. People also consider these markets as the destination of Vietnamese culture.

Banh chung - a hot-selling item at Vietnamese markets. (Photo: Do ​​Van/Vietnam+)

At the Vietnamese market in Cabramatta, which has the largest Vietnamese community in Sydney, all kinds of Tet goods are sold, from live chickens, banh chung, candied fruit, watermelon seeds, fruits used to decorate the five-fruit tray to Tet gift baskets, lucky money envelopes, and votive paper. These goods are mostly produced in Australia, by Vietnamese or Australian establishments.

As Tet approaches, Cabramatta Market is crowded every day. The last two days of the week before Tet, the market is bustling with shoppers, just like the markets in Vietnam during Tet. Many families spend the whole day shopping. Rest areas and restaurants are always full of customers.

One thing that is completely different from markets in Vietnam is the lack of fresh peach and apricot blossoms during Tet. There are no fresh flowers, but there are plenty of fake flowers.

Although Marrickville Market is smaller than Cabramatta Market, the items for traditional Tet in Marrickville are equally complete. Fresh flowers such as chrysanthemums, lilies, and gladiolus are all available and very popular. Joss paper for Tet Ong Cong Ong Tao or New Year's Eve, and ancestor worship are all produced in large quantities, with diverse and rich designs, serving all the needs of Vietnamese people in the three regions of North, Central, and South.

Prices of Tet goods at Vietnamese markets are relatively stable. There is no price increase during Tet, perhaps because everyone considers this an opportunity to preserve traditional customs and needs to take the business factor lightly.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Viet, a Vietnamese expatriate who has lived in Australia for more than 10 years, said that going to the market to shop for Tet is one of the activities that his family has to do every year. This is an opportunity for him and his wife to recall their childhood memories of celebrating Tet, and at the same time, help their children enjoy the atmosphere of Spring in their homeland, thereby being aware of preserving the traditional customs and practices of the nation.

It can be seen that Vietnamese markets in Australia provide both material and spiritual needs to the Vietnamese community here, helping them preserve and promote their national identity./.

According to VNA