The Tet holiday, the most important event of Vietnam, is more than a week away, but the festive atmosphere has already reached the Vietnamese community in the North African country of Egypt.

In an Islamic country like Egypt, traditional dishes like square glutinous rice cake, spring rolls and pickled onions are a luxury.

They are only found during special events like the spring ceremony held by the Vietnamese Embassy in the country on the occasion of the Lunar New Year.

In spite of busy schedules, Vietnamese people in Egypt , who number less than 100, tried their best to attend the reunion ceremony.

They talked over a wide range of topics, from business to children’s study. Some even sang songs about the homeland.

For Le Ngoc Mai, a student at Cairo University , it is such a new feeling to celebrate Tet in Egypt . She said when she welcomes the Lunar New Year in Cairo , everyone in Vietnam may already be asleep.

Like past years, despite a heavy workload, on a farm in Menoufia province, over 100 kilometres from Cairo , Hany Fahim spent his whole day with his wife Hoang Thi Bich Lien and their five children at the ceremony.

In 2013 and the political crisis in Egypt , the Vietnamese community overcame all difficulties, strengthened solidarity and maintained the friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Dao Thanh Chung, Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt expressed his happiness that some families living far away from Cairo could make it there to enjoy the ceremony.

At such a sacred moment, all expatriates in Egypt looked towards their homeland, wishing for more successes in the coming Year of the Horse.

In Caracas, the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela held a get-together to celebrate the Lunar New Year with the participation of the Vietnamese community in the South American country.

VNA