Tet reunion, warm spring

(Baonghean)Joining the nationwide celebration of the Lunar New Year 2015 (Year of the Goat), millions of people in Nghe An province, from urban to rural areas, from mountainous regions to lowlands, enjoyed a warm, joyful, and harmonious traditional Tet holiday. In particular, with the involvement of all levels of government, sectors, and society as a whole, following the motto: "Every family should have a Tet," poor households and families receiving social welfare benefits were extremely delighted to receive heartfelt gifts, ensuring a warm and joyful Tet holiday.

Festive preparations for Tet

For Nghe An province, the Year of the Horse (2014) has passed with many remarkable achievements in the economic, cultural, and social fields, positively impacting the quality of life for its people. During the Lunar New Year of the Goat (2015), as we traveled along the roads of our homeland, we felt the joy and excitement on the faces of every citizen. For Mr. Ho Sy Khai of Tho Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, each spring brings a new joy. Right in his hometown of Tho Thanh, the living standards of the people are improving day by day; village roads and alleys are being built cleanly and spaciously. Therefore, Tet in each home is becoming more neat, cozy, and truly filled with the meaning of the word "reunion." “In the past, life was difficult, and during Tet (Lunar New Year), we only had a bowl of rice to cook and offer to our ancestors. But now, life has become much more prosperous, so we can prepare for Tet more fully and easily. This year, all my children who work in Laos have come home for Tet, so the family atmosphere is even more joyful,” Mr. Khai shared.

Life is developing and improving, a feeling not only shared by those who live in their hometown but also by those from Nghe An who return home to reunite with their families during Tet (Lunar New Year). In a conversation with us, Mr. Nguyen Trong Bac from Binh Duong, who returned home for Tet, excitedly shared: “Every year when I return, I see my hometown changing and developing again. In particular, Vinh City has developed very rapidly, becoming more spacious, modern, green, clean, and beautiful. The rural areas are also changing quickly, taking on a new rural appearance; almost every family seems prosperous and well-off. Returning home for Tet this year, I am truly happy.”

Residents of Vinh City participate in the New Year's Eve celebration at Ho Chi Minh Square. Photo: HT - TH

At Thanh Thuy Border Gate Border Guard Post (Thanh Chuong district), the plants and flowers are blooming beautifully in this border region. Welcoming the New Year of the Goat, the officers and soldiers of the Post also have a special reason to celebrate: at the end of 2014, the unit was awarded the title of "Unit of Victory" by the Border Guard Command. The Post Commander, Major Nguyen Trung Thanh, said: During the Tet holiday, the unit's personnel maintained 100% readiness for duty and combat to ensure border security, allowing the people to enjoy a peaceful and warm Tet holiday. Despite their duties, the officers and soldiers' Tet celebrations at the border were as complete and warm as if they were at home.

The Lunar New Year of the Goat 2015 passed joyfully, bringing happiness to every family, individual, and organization. According to the report on the Lunar New Year 2015 by the Provincial People's Committee: During the Tet holiday, preparations for Tet goods were thorough, ensuring quality and generally stable prices, meeting the essential needs of the people, and preventing illegal trading, counterfeit goods, and substandard products. Armed forces such as the police, army, and border guards proactively planned to strengthen their forces and ensure national defense and security in the province, thus ensuring basic political security and absolute safety for key targets; traffic patrols were intensified to prevent congestion. Party committees, authorities, and the entire political system participated in strict control measures, resulting in a significant reduction in firework use compared to previous years, especially on New Year's Eve. Food safety and hygiene were good, and there were no outbreaks of disease in the area. Therefore, the people celebrated Tet and enjoyed the Spring Festival in a joyful, healthy, safe, and economical manner.

On New Year's Eve in Vinh City, many young foreigners were delighted, braving the rain to celebrate the New Year and enjoying the pleasant chill of this tropical monsoon climate. Among the crowds awaiting the sacred moment of the New Year's transition in Ho Chi Minh Square, Dustin from the United States felt particularly thrilled. This year, Dustin, 29 years old, is a teacher at a well-known English language center in Vinh City. During the center's Tet holiday, the young man from the other side of the globe decided to stay in Vinh City to experience a traditional aspect of Vietnamese culture.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, Dustin had a farewell dinner with friends before braving the rain to go to Ho Chi Minh Square. Enthralled by the folk music performances from Nghe An province, the American man clapped enthusiastically and gave the "ok" sign to share his joy with everyone. Occasionally, he would call and text his friends, sharing his experience of the New Year's celebration in Vinh City. "This is my first time celebrating Tet in Vietnam, and I feel wonderful. Everyone is friendly, and the weather is great – it's raining but not as cold as in America. I think you've created a meaningful space right at the foot of the Ho Chi Minh monument. This will be a memorable experience in my life," Dustin shared.

Also at Ho Chi Minh Square on New Year's Eve, a group of young tourists from Australia were very excited and thrilled by the hip-hop and flashmob performances by various dance groups. Sitting together, sipping beer and enjoying the Tet atmosphere in the light rain, the tourists said this was their first time celebrating Tet abroad. On the first day of Tet, the group explored Vinh City and then visited Uncle Ho's birthplace in Nam Dan. Meanwhile, Ms. Jammeh, an English specialist from Vinh University, explored the atmosphere of New Year's Eve and experienced "the most important holiday of the year for Vietnamese people." Before New Year's Eve, she visited the spring flower market, admired the mossy peach blossoms and budding flowers, and was invited by colleagues and students to celebrate the Spring Festival and enjoy a reunion meal. Teacher Jammeh believes that celebrating Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) for the first time in a tropical country is also an opportunity for her to learn more about the culture, people, and her hometown of Nghe An, the birthplace of President Ho Chi Minh…

Warmth of sharing

Amidst the general joy of the people throughout the province during the Lunar New Year, it is noteworthy that the joy of poor families, policy beneficiaries, and vulnerable groups in society is "woven" from the care of Party committees and government at all levels, as well as the warm sharing of organizations, individuals, agencies, and businesses. Even before Tet, many delegations led by provincial leaders visited and extended New Year greetings to poor families, policy beneficiaries, and the elderly in many localities throughout the province. The gifts, filled with affection, from each trip by provincial leaders warmed the hearts of those still facing many difficulties in life. Mr. Quang Van Truong, residing in Muong Ngoc commune, Que Phong district, who was affected by chemical toxins, was deeply moved when his family received a visit from Comrade Nguyen Xuan Duong, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, who presented gifts and extended New Year greetings. He shared: "The concern of the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee and the members of the delegation has helped my family have a more fulfilling Tet celebration."

It can be said that, in the spirit of "every family should have a Tet holiday," all levels and sectors have paid much attention to organizing Spring Festival celebrations for policy beneficiaries, disadvantaged families, elderly people living alone, orphaned children, homeless children, and those with particularly difficult circumstances. Comrade Nguyen Huu Vinh, Chairman of the Thanh Chuong District People's Committee, said: “During the Lunar New Year of the Goat in 2015, in addition to ensuring full compliance with the policies and regulations of the Central Government and the province, the District People's Committee allocated over 1.4 billion VND for beneficiaries of preferential policies. The district organized nearly 20 delegations to visit, encourage, and extend New Year greetings to units performing duties during Tet, policy beneficiary families, people with meritorious services, the elderly, and the poor. In particular, in response to the call for support for Tet for the poor from the Provincial Party Secretary, many organizations, agencies, units, and individuals in the district donated nearly 1.2 billion VND to help the poor celebrate Tet. The district also proactively and promptly distributed nearly 300 tons of rice to 6,214 families to alleviate hunger during Tet.”

On a provincial level, during the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Goat (2015) until February 10th, 2015 (corresponding to the 22nd day of the 12th lunar month of the Year of the Horse), all 21 districts, cities, and towns completed the distribution of Tet gifts to people with meritorious service, with a total gift budget of 32,496,750,000 VND. Localities in the province also provided rice relief to the people, totaling 3,349 tons, benefiting 77,275 households with 223,267 people, at a rate of 15 kg per person. The Provincial People's Committee allocated 8,161,400,000 VND to the People's Committees of districts, cities, and towns to support 81,614 poor households during Tet, at a rate of 100,000 VND per household. Tens of thousands of elderly people and other social beneficiaries also received Tet gifts. Social mobilization efforts aimed at caring for poor households, policy beneficiaries, and vulnerable groups during Tet (Lunar New Year) have been widely implemented and have proven highly effective. According to the Provincial People's Committee report, the total amount of money mobilized through social contributions for Tet visits and gifts in 2015 was 52.1 billion VND. In total, the budget for regular allowances and Tet gifts for war veterans and social welfare beneficiaries, from the State budget and contributions from organizations, businesses, and individuals during the 2015 Tet holiday, was 288 billion VND. Of this, 185.821 billion VND was for regular allowances for war veterans and social welfare beneficiaries; and 102.169 billion VND was for gifts to beneficiaries (war veterans, social welfare beneficiaries, the elderly, the poor, and children with special difficulties).

The Lunar New Year of the Goat 2015 passed in a joyful, peaceful, and warm atmosphere of sharing. We believe that this warm spring spirit will create a strong ripple effect, inspiring Party committees, government agencies, and the people of the province to work together to continue building a more prosperous and beautiful Nghe An homeland.

Reporters' Team