Lao students celebrate the Vietnamese New Year

In addition to the joy of Spring, many Lao students studying and researching at institutions in the province are thrilled and busy to celebrate the Vietnamese traditional Tet.

Hung Vuong University has made it an annual tradition for overseas students to celebrate Tet by wrapping chung cake.

Although Vietnamese traditional Tet and Lao Bunpimay differ in terms of timing and rituals, they share a busy ambiance as they welcome the new year with excitement. Although this is not the first time Tet has been celebrated in Vietnam, Palongvue Thongphan, President of the Lao Student Association at Hung Vuong University, stated, "Having celebrated Tet in Vietnam many times, I feel very warm because of my friends." In the same session, they were escorted to the flower market, packed banh chung, and celebrated New Year’s Eve in a cozy setting full of cheerful laughing... They also received congrats and heartfelt wishes for a great new year from instructors and students."

The atmosphere is lively and busy in preparation for Tet.

Because not every holiday allows for a long enough vacation to return home and see family, Laotian students plan their own celebrations in the dormitories. Every year, at the transition between the old year and the new year, Laotian students at the Hung Vuong University dormitory cheerfully go to each room to wish a good and happy new year, then meet to talk or listen to music, sing and dance together. Kham Khengsy ViengPhan, a senior student at Hung Vuong University, stated: "My friends and I received a lot of attention from teachers and Vietnamese friends." Everyone texted and called to check on our health, reminding us to dress warmly and even inviting us to our instructors' houses to celebrate the new year. Those will be wonderful experiences that I will never forget when I return home."

Peach blossoms and kumquat trees are essential images for the traditional Vietnamese Tet celebration, which is adorned by professors and Laotian students in the dormitory.

Many Lao households have two or more generations studying in Vietnam. The preceding generation returned to study and returned home, leaving their younger siblings, children, and grandkids to “be trained by Vietnamese teachers”. Simxay Soukkeo, a third-year student at the Faculty of Pharmacy at Phu Tho Medical College whose father was an international student in Vietnam, stated, "My father is a military doctor and has always encouraged me to pursue his career. So, as soon as I had the opportunity to study in Vietnam, I decided to attend Phu Tho Medical College. Through experience, I believe that Vietnamese Tet is unique and shares many similarities with Lao Tet; both are occasions for nurturing and shaping national cultural traditions. I felt really homesick the first year I celebrated Vietnamese Tet, but being able to wrap banh chung with my professors and spend a warm and emotional New Year’s Eve full with pleasure made me and my friends feel closer and relieved." This year, Soukkeo chose to return with his family to Laos to celebrate Vietnamese New Year, and he always made sure to bring several gifts for his parents, such as jam, candy, and Phu Tho delicacies.

More than 200 Lao students and officials from the provinces of Luang Nam Tha, Phong Sa Ly, U Dom Xay, and Luang Prabang are now studying and researching at Hung Vuong University and Phu Tho Medical Colleges. Due to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic two school years ago, students from Laos and other countries primarily stayed in Vietnam to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Schools have arranged several Tet experience events for international students, including “Spring Love Camp” on the school campus, as well as activities such as wrapping banh chung, making food, playing, entertaining, sports, cultural exchanges, and arts. On New Year’s Eve, instructors bring pupils home to celebrate Tet with their family. This important and humane labor allows foreign students to fully experience traditional Vietnamese Tet, interact with one another, and build connections between cultures throughout the world.

Lao students from Phu Tho Medical College perform the traditional Lam Vong dance to celebrate the New Year.

Mr. Nguyen Tai Luyen, Deputy Head of the Department of Political and Student Affairs at Hung Vuong University, stated that the institution constantly develops circumstances and playgrounds for Lao students, foreign students, and researchers. Staying at school allows you to appreciate the comfortable environment of traditional Vietnamese Tet. In addition, school officials will pay direct visits to overseas students to wish them a happy New Year. On New Year’s Eve, they will commemorate their years and send New Year congratulations to them.

On New Year’s Eve, they will commemorate their years and send New Year greetings to them, as well as examine the tradition of solidarity and friendship between students from two ethnic groups: Vietnam and Laos.

For Lao students, celebrating the Vietnamese Lunar New Year is a novel and thrilling event. Everyone is looking forward to the annual Tet holiday since it allows them to immerse themselves in the bustling atmosphere and grasp the country’s and people’s traditional cultures.

Ninh Giang