A fulfilling Tet holiday and joyful family reunion for Vietnamese people in Russia.

(Baonghean.vn) -On New Year's Eve and the first days of spring, the Vietnamese community in the Russian Federation held many activities to celebrate the traditional Lunar New Year.

For them, Tet is a time for gathering together with homemade banh chung (traditional rice cakes) and gio lua (pork sausage), wishing each other well, and providing spiritual support for generations of people living far from home.

From Moscow, Nguyen Trung Hieu, currently pursuing a Master's degree at the Russian Federation's University of Friendship of Peoples, said: Due to the recent economic fluctuations in Russia, the business situation of Vietnamese people here has been somewhat affected, as goods are imported in US dollars but sold in rubles. Nevertheless, Vietnamese people here still celebrated a prosperous Lunar New Year with the hope for a smooth and successful year ahead.

The Vietnamese community in Moscow gathered together on New Year's Eve, sharing their joys and sorrows from the past year and hoping for a prosperous new year.

CommunityVietnamese students studying in Kazan participated in the "Spring in the Homeland" program organized by the Vietnamese Association in the Republic of Tatarstan. Songs about their homeland, traditional dances, lion dances, the "Kitchen God's Ascent to Heaven" performance, vibrant peach blossoms, and the graceful ao dai dresses of young women... all warmed the hearts of these young people in a foreign land.

New Year's Eve with the "Spring in the Homeland" program in Kazan, Russian Federation.

Vietnamese students at Saint-Peteburg Polytechnic University also organized a food festival, displaying traditional dishes such as banh chung (sticky rice cake), gio xao (stir-fried pork sausage), nem ran (fried spring rolls), xoi gac (sticky rice with gac fruit), nom (salad), pickled vegetables, etc., which were very delicious and full of the flavors of Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year).

New Year's Eve dinner table at Saint-Petersburg Polytechnic University.

A few days before Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year), international students divide up the tasks of marinating meat, soaking rice, and preparing beans. Steps like wiping the leaves, wrapping, and boiling the cakes are all done carefully. The banana leaves, sticky rice packets, and strings used for tying are cherished because they are limited in quantity and expensive.

Actually, at Vietnamese markets, you can find almost anything you need and cook it right away without any complicated preparation. But the main thing is that people want to go to the market and prepare thoroughly for the moment of reunion, to cook the New Year's Eve meal together.

With the same traditional five-fruit platter and green sticky rice cakes, Vietnamese students in Voronezh, Russia, have tried to recreate the Tet (Lunar New Year) atmosphere of their homeland. Photo: My Nga.

In the heroic city of Tula, Russia, although the Lunar New Year is also a time when Vietnamese students are busy in lecture halls, libraries, and exams, and everyone is preoccupied with their daily routines, Vietnamese students still manage to gather together to celebrate the New Year with excitement. Temporarily forgetting their studies and part-time jobs, they sit together, eat sticky rice cakes, and sing songs about their homeland.

Duong Thi Bich Thuy (first-year master's student, Tula University of Education) shared: “Because the Lunar New Year in Russia coincides with exams, everyone doesn't have much time to celebrate. However, everyone still tries to have a New Year's Eve dinner together and play traditional games. Although it's not like being at home, it's enough to ease some of the homesickness.” Photo: My Nga.

In the city of Ekaterinburg, Russia, the Vietnamese community held a New Year's celebration. From familiar dishes like banh chung (sticky rice cake), nem ran (fried spring rolls), and canh mang (bamboo shoot soup), to Vietnamese women in elegant ao dai (traditional dress) and familiar songs about their homeland, the party was also an opportunity for the younger generation born there to learn about their roots, traditions, and Vietnamese culture.

Young Vietnamese people born and raised in Russia are excited to wear the traditional ao dai dress during the Lunar New Year. (Photo provided by the subject)

For Vietnamese people, no matter how long they've been away from home, every New Year brings a nostalgic longing for the traditional Tet holiday with its green sticky rice cakes, peach blossoms, and the fragrant scent of New Year's Eve. Although unable to celebrate Tet with family, Vietnamese people in Russia have drawn closer together, sharing the familiar atmosphere of the traditional New Year with new, brighter hopes. In the cold of the snowy land, songs and music still resonate, bringing the warmth of spring to the hearts of Vietnamese people living abroad.

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