Vietnamese communities abroad celebrate Tet

The Vietnamese communities around the world have begun activities to celebrate the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, which is several days left.

An art performance in the get-together in Japan

In Vientiane, the capital city of Laos, Vietnamese expatriates joined together in Phat Tich pagoda on February 4 to pray for peace and happiness in the upcoming New Year.

Speaking at the event, Venerable Thich Minh Quang, head of the pagoda highlighted the need to preserve Vietnam’s cultural identity and traditions.

Built in 1957, the pagoda is serving religious demand of overseas Vietnamese (OVs) living in Vientiane and adjacent areas. It is a place for exchange, thus promoting unity in the Vietnamese community in the country.

On February 3, the Vietnamese permanent representative delegation to the UN and the Vietnamese Consulate General in New York jointly held a get-together for OVs and international friends to welcome the new spring.

In her speech at the event, Head of the Vietnamese permanent representative delegation to the UN Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga looked back Vietnam’s great achievements in 2017 across fields from economy, socio-culture, diplomacy, to defence and security.

The Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership has witnessed fruitful developments through Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s visit to the US and President Donald Trump’s official visit to Vietnam in the year.

She stressed contributions made by Vietnamese expats in the US as well as international friends to promoting the relations between the two countries.

The ambassador took the occasion to wish OVs in New York and adjacent areas and international friends a happy New Year.

The same day, Vietnamese expats in Buenos Aires of Argentina and Moscow of Russia gathered at ceremonies to celebrate the traditional Tet.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina Dang Xuan Dung informed that trade between the two countries exceeded US$3 billion and Vietnam is the leading trade partner of Argentine in Southeast Asia.

He hoped OVs will continue serving as a bridge to promote the traditional friendship between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Ngo Duc Manh shared difficulties met by OVs living the country, affirming the embassy will do its best to support the community in the coming time.

He asked for closer coordination and information exchange between the embassy and associations and societies of the Vietnamese people, thus enhancing solidarity among the Vietnamese communities in Russia.

Overseas Vietnamese in Australia also gathered in Canberra to celebrate the traditional Lunar New Year festival on February 3.

Ambassador Ngo Huong Nam reviewed the strong development of the Vietnam-Australia relations over the last 45 years, saying that the two sides scheduled to sign a statement on upgrading their relations to “Strategic Partnership” in the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to Australia to attend the ASEAN-Australia special summit.

He praised valuable contributions of Vietnamese communities in Australia, affirming that they are important factors to make the bilateral relations stronger.

Tran Ba Phuc, Chairman of the Vietnam entrepreneurs’ association in Australia thanked the embassy in particular and the Vietnamese Government in general for their support for Vietnamese community in the country, saying that the organisation of events of this kind every year contribute to preserving and promoting Vietnam’s traditional culture.

The same day, Vietnam’s Consulate General in Sydney also held a gathering celebrating Tet for the Vietnamese community in the city.

Also on February 3, Vietnam’s Embassy in Japan and the Vietnamese Consulate General in Fukuoka city of Japan hosted similar events, providing opportunities for Vietnamese expatriates to meet each other after one year of hard work.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Nguyen Quoc Cuong updated participants on outstanding achievements in the Vietnam-Japan relationship in 2017, especially high-ranking visits of the two countries’ leaders to deepen the Intensive Strategic Partnership.

He said the Vietnamese community in Japan made significant contributions to both nations’ prosperity and expanding the bilateral ties in a sustainable manner.

He urged OVs in Japan to continue upholding the national great unity, and work harder to make more contributions to the bilateral relations.

VNA