In the free days before Tet, resident Phan Thu Nguyet in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 8 took her adopted Cambodian daughter, Choun Voleakmakmithona, studying at the HCMC-based Preparatory School to go shopping. After adopting Choun Voleakmakmithona, she feels more joyful.
Ms. Thu Nguyet is the head of the Thu Duc City Poetry Club, a member of the Ho Chi Minh City Writers Association. She has adopted four children. However, when she adopted her daughter who is an international student, she still hesitated because she was afraid of communication and cultural difficulties.
However, Mrs. Nguyet felt very happy later to have an obedient and talented foreign daughter. In the days near the Tet holiday, she and the adopted daughter spent a lot of time gathering and shopping together in preparation for the upcoming holiday.
She revealed that she and singer and musician Xuan Chanh adopted two Cambodian children. They usually took the children out to eat and buy notebooks and clothes together so they could feel love and this helped strengthen the friendship between the two countries.
To help her adopted daughter understand more about Vietnamese traditions and culture, Ms. Nguyet added that she would take her Cambodian daughter to visit more historical sites and participate in poetry, singing, and cultural and artistic activities.
Mrs. Nguyet also brought her adopted daughter home and taught her how to cook Vietnamese food. Choun Voleakmakmithona loves Vietnamese pancakes, so Mrs. Nguyet especially taught her daughter how to make delicious dipping sauce.
This year's Tet, Choun Voleakmakmithona stayed in HCMC for 2 days to celebrate Tet with the adoptive mother and then returned to Cambodia with her family. Choun Voleakmakmithona shared that she doesn’t speak Vietnamese very well yet but she promised will try to learn to thank her Vietnamese mother for loving her and taking her out for Tet.
Fifth-year student Hen Samart majoring in general medicine at Nguyen Tat Thanh University said that he was very excited to celebrate the traditional Tet in Vietnam. Hen Samart shared that he has been in Vietnam for 6 years and feels the difference between Tet holidays in Vietnam and Cambodia.
He said that he has been in Vietnam for a long time which she considers as her second home, so he bought ao dai and conical hats. Moreover, he is also very excited because, during Tet, Vietnamese students have a much longer vacation than during Tet in Cambodia.
Hen Samart shared that he had eaten Tet feasts in Ho Chi Minh City, and especially enjoyed eating rice with braised pork, banh tet, and bitter melon soup. He finds it very interesting to know the meaning of bitter melon soup to help dispel the hardships of the old year and welcome a good and happy new year. Vietnamese language and Vietnamese culture have also become much more interesting to me thanks to meaningful stories like this, Hen Samart said.
Hen Samart said that as he studies medicine, he spends much time at hospitals and comes into contact with many patients with serious diseases.
However, during the traditional Tet holiday, everyone forgets the difficulties and hardships and gathers together to welcome the new year. This helps him understand the importance of Tet for every Vietnamese person. Even though patients are undergoing treatment, they still laugh and celebrate Tet with family members.
He loves and appreciates life and good experiences in Vietnam even more.
Cambodian student Keo Linda at Nguyen Tat Thanh University also said that she was very happy to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Vietnam. Linda shared that she was invited to spend time at the home of her Vietnamese best friend's parents in Cu Chi outlying district to celebrate the national special holiday. She was very impressed with the Vietnamese New Year's customs and cultural traditions.
What impressed her was the warm, cheerful, and busy atmosphere of the friend’s family when they went shopping for flower pots, ornamental plants, apricot trees, and Tet decorations. Especially on New Year's Eve, after watching the fireworks, the mother of her friend gave her an envelope of lucky money.
Linda also said that she wanted to celebrate many more Tet holidays in Vietnam so that when she returns home, she won't have any regrets. During the time studying in Ho Chi Minh City, she has had many good memories. Her friend's parents also adopted her and welcomed her home to celebrate Tet as a family member; thus, she felt very warm and less homesick.
