Tet in Bolsa (USA) is imbued with Vietnamese identity

It should be said Southern California, Orange County, but people often use the name of a street or road to talk about this land such as Phuoc Loc Tho shopping mall or Bolsa area (Spanish street name, where there are many Vietnamese streets and shops). Most of the Vietnamese who have lived and settled in the US or in other countries have at least once been to Bolsa, where they have many friends and relatives to visit. And former students, fellow countrymen from other provinces and cities sometimes have the opportunity to meet in Bolsa during reunions.

Vietnamese people in Southern California celebrate the traditional Tet holiday in many different ways: parades on Bolsa Street, Student Tet Fair, Tet flower market, etc. These forms seem to be very familiar to our fellow countrymen here. Many people from many regions across the United States still have the habit of coming to Southern California to celebrate Tet and are very excited to have the opportunity to participate in these festivals.

Bolsa has many concentrated shopping areas, although not as busy on a street asHoustongoodDallasof the stateTexas. Coming here in any season, people feel comfortable because of the warm climate. Therefore, on the occasions of "weekend", Christmas, New Year, Lunar New Year... Bolsa always attracts a lot of visitors from all over the world. Moreover, when returning, everyone brings with them all kinds of products with strong Vietnamese identity, such as Hue spring rolls, pork rolls, grilled spring rolls, beef jerky... There are even people from Arizona, Los Angeles, San Bernadino or even Hawaii... who take advantage of one or two weeks to come to Bolsa to go to the market to buy food to bring home to eat gradually. Mr. Tieu Van Chi (from the state ofNevada), said: "My wife and I have been in the US to reunite with our children for about 3 years.Las Vegas. But there are few Vietnamese people living there so there is no bustling and joyful atmosphere like here! On the occasion of the upcoming New Year of the Dragon, we will return to Bolsa to go to the flower market, shop and definitely return here on Tet to participate in cultural activities". Mr. Chi added: "Bolsa has a Tet atmosphere similar to that of my homeland. Only here do I feel like I can relive the cozy atmosphere of Vietnamese Tet, it is really interesting". Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan (Mr. Chi's wife) commented: "Bolsa market sells all kinds of cakes and jams, the prices are relatively affordable. There are also many flowers, especially orchids. I also see many pots of apricot and peach blossoms full of buds that will probably bloom on the first day of Tet"...

Ms. Trinh Ngoc, the owner of a flower stall at Bolsa Market, said that in the past few weeks, many people from far away places have come to visit her stall. Everyone was amazed and said that Little Saigon is not much different from Ho Chi Minh City. There are also all kinds of apricot, orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo, so when Tet comes, everyone wants to come here to celebrate Tet to ease their homesickness. As for Mr. Tran Minh Chau, a senior living in Denver, he said,

Southern California has many friends, an artistic atmosphere and cultural festivals, so he visits at least a few times a year.

Mr. Michael Hai and Ms. Jennifer Loan are two classmates at the University ofChicago, just invited each other to Bolsa to visit relatives and welcome the New Year of the Dragon. Both of them also had the opportunity to directly witness the Banh Chung and Banh Tet wrapping contest held in Phuoc Loc Tho area in early January 2011. Michael Hai commented: "This is truly a gathering place for Vietnamese people overseas, regardless of anything with Vietnamese colorMaleyes. My girlfriend and I are both young so we don't fully understand the meaning of the three days of Tet. Now I see that people organizing the contest ask questions about the meaning of banh chung and banh tet, which sounds very interesting, helping us young people understand more about the identity of Vietnamese customs and practices.

Right from the full moon day of December, the Tet market "Phuoc-Loc-Tho" located on Bolsa street has officially opened. Just like the orchid market "Euro Asian-Furnishings" inFountain ValleyAs soon as the ribbon was cut, there were many people coming to enjoy the show and many people bought flowers. According to the weather forecast, during the days of the Year of the Dragon in Bolsa this year, there may be light rains, the weather will be cold enough for ladies to put on warm clothes, scarves...

According to Daidoanket