As the Lunar New Year (Tet) 2025 approaches, many schools in Ho Chi Minh City are organizing decoration and thematic activities to create a joyful atmosphere for students in the days leading up to the New Year, thereby educating them more about traditional culture.
For over a week, the second-floor corridor of Block D at Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 has been adorned with decorations items including colorful lanterns, pots of chrysanthemums, miniature landscapes featuring carrying poles and bamboo trays, and meticulously crafted models of chung cakes (Vietnamese square sticky rice cake), tet cakes (cylinder glutinous rice cake) , and watermelons.
The decorations and miniature landscapes were collaboratively designed and created by teachers and students, with support from parent representatives of each class.
Class 11CA2 homeroom teacher Nguyen Mai Phuong said that through setting up miniature landscapes, students have the opportunity to learn about the traditional culture and customs of the nation's traditional Tet. This activity has brought a joyful atmosphere, brightened up the learning space, helped teachers and students feel warmer and more attached to the school.
While doing these small decoration items, students received training in collaboration, the exchange of personal ideas, and the enhancement of critical thinking and creativity, which in turn fostered stronger connections amongst them.
At Hoang Hoa Tham Secondary School in Tan Binh District, to prepare for the 2025 Spring Festival with the theme ‘Tet back to hometown’, students of all classes built miniature landscapes with apricot blossoms, firecrackers, and red parallel sentences. In particular, the miniature landscape area also introduced some beautiful places and landscapes of the country such as Phu Quoc Island, Cau Pagoda - Hoi An in Quang Nam Province.
The spring festival activities aim to cultivate students' love for their homeland and foster an appreciation for traditional Vietnamese culture. Prior to the festival, Hoang Hoa Tham Secondary School's Youth Union launched a fundraising campaign titled 'Happy Tet with Friends' to support students from poor families and ensure they can fully enjoy the festive season.
Elsewhere in the city, to enjoy bustling atmosphere of spring, teachers of the geography subject of Cu Chi High School in Cu Chi District have recently organized a festival connecting tourism with Vietnamese agricultural products. Traditional dishes on Vietnamese New Year holidays such as chung cake, tet cake, pickled onions were introduced at the event.
Teacher Le Xuan Giang, Head of the team of geography teacher at Cu Chi High School shared that the food stalls were made by students in grades 11 and 12 to introduce specialty fruits and traditional cakes of the localities to the whole school. Through that, students better understand the value of Vietnamese agricultural products and are proud of the traditional culinary culture of the nation.
Teachers and students at Ha Huy Tap Secondary School in Binh Thanh District has a different way of doing things. Every January, students of the school roll up their pants and plant rice right in the school yard. Principal Hua Thi Diem Tram revealed that the artificial rice field is one of the miniature landscapes decorating the school yard during the Lunar New Year.
A school representative said that in addition to creating a joyful Tet atmosphere for students, the experiential activity also helps students better understand the hardships of farmers in the rice fields, thereby knowing how to appreciate the rice they eat every day.
