Vietnamese communities in many countries have held various activities to welcome the new lunar year. Nguyen Thi Quy lives in Sisavat village in Laos expressed her feeling on this occasion: “Although living far from the homeland, we still keep Vietnamese customs. I’m very happy because we have built a new house in the new year.”

After New Year’s Eve, thousands of people in the capital Vientiane went the Phat Tich pagada built by the Vietnamese community to pray for good  health and luck.

Meanwhile, overseas Vietnamese in Thailand have maintained the tradition of preparing a new year feast to worship their ancestors and President Ho Chi Minh. 76-year-old Phan Van Me in Nontha Buri district said that his family’s banquet includes typical Vietnamese dishes - Tet cake, chicken, bamboo shoot soup and pickled onions: “The spring reminds me of President Ho Chi Minh and his teachings. We have tried to retain our traditional Tet celebrations, which will continue to be handed down to the next generations.

The Vietnamese embassy in Egypt on Sunday hosted a get-together to welcome the new lunar year. Ambassador Pham Sy Tam said that though the Vietnamese community there is small, they always turn their hearts to the homeland. Mr. Tam also expressed his belief that with great patriotism and unity, overseas Vietnamese in Egypt will take more practical actions toward national construction and defence.