Thu Phuong: Who knows, maybe in 2019 I will get married to Dung Taylor

Thu Phuong said that until now she still remembers clearly the Tet days of her childhood and it has become a memory that sticks with her, especially the time when she went to Hanoi. Now living half a world away from Vietnam, although her life is full, she still cherishes and misses the old Tet even more.

When she was a child, living in Hai Phong, Thu Phuong often took on the job of wiping leaves for her father to wrap Chung cakes. Then on New Year's Eve, she often went to pick star fruit branches to bring home for good luck. In the old days, Tet was very poor, because of hunger, she only looked forward to Tet to have enough to eat.

Thu Phuong has experienced many different living conditions, from her hometown to her workplace and even times away from home, so every Tet holiday has its own haunting and unforgettable memories for her.

Thu Phuong: Tet in the past was very poor, because of hunger, we just looked forward to Tet to have enough to eat. Photo: Duy Tien.

In the US, the ingredients to prepare traditional Vietnamese New Year dishes are lacking, and there are no dong leaves to wrap banh chung. Most Vietnamese families in the US temporarily wrap the banh chung in banana leaves and tie it with pineapple strings. Therefore, banh chung does not have the green color and characteristic aroma like in Vietnam.

It is also very difficult to find old coriander leaves, so we use regular coriander leaves to boil water for the whole family to bathe in. And Thu Phuong's small family keeps the Vietnamese Tet tradition every year. They wrap banh chung by themselves and go find coriander leaves to bathe in to welcome the new year.

Thu Phuong said that until now, she still performs all the Tet rituals like in her hometown, especially the New Year's Eve worship, going to the spring flower market, and inviting her grandparents to come home during the Tet holidays. Thu Phuong wants to preserve and pass on to her children the traditional Tet customs.

"Happiness is something everyone wants, but I don't dare say anything yet." Photo: Duy Tien.

"It has become a tradition that at exactly 3am in the US, I often wake up and turn on the TV to watch Tao Quan and watch the New Year's Eve telecast in my hometown. And almost every year, I stay up from 3am until 9am the next morning to celebrate Tet. For me and many children far from home, that moment is extremely sacred" - Thu Phuong confided.

Until now, for Thu Phuong, the first Tet holidays living away from home more than ten years ago still haunt her. And this year, it might be another joy for the female singer if she has the opportunity to travel to Vietnam early in the spring to perform because those things will create many different emotions for her.

Thu Phuong admitted that she had many plans in 2018 but for many reasons she was not able to fulfill her wishes. Therefore, what she could not do in 2018 will be saved for 2019. Thu Phuong hopes that each music night will have something special to contribute to the audience.

Thu Phuong still has many plans to carry out in 2019. Photo: Thanh Dat

After many storms, Thu Phuong has had certain peace, will a wedding happen in 2019?, asking Thu Phuong, she smiled and said: "Up to this moment, that big plan still hasn't appeared in my project with the man beside me. But the future is unpredictable, who knows what will happen in 2019 there might be a wedding....".

Thu Phuong said she is trying to spend as much time as possible with her children because they are still too young. Traveling between Vietnam and overseas also takes up too much of her time. "Happiness is what everyone wants, but I don't dare say anything in advance" - Thu Phuong shared.

On the occasion of the New Year, the female singer from Hai Phong sent special thanks to the audience who have loved her over the years. "Thu Phuong would like to send New Year wishes to all the audience and especially the Vietnamese people living far from home to welcome a peaceful spring with lots of luck, good health and a happy life."