Photo: The Duong (cpv.org.vn

More than 1,000 overseas Vietnamese gathered at a special event at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi yesterday to celebrate the coming Lunar New Year Festival (Tet). The annual Xuan Que Huong (Spring in the Homeland) welcomed Vietnamese expatriates returning home for their country’s biggest festival, which will begin next Monday. Present at this event were President Truong Tan Sang, representatives from the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs and Hanoi municipal authorities. They attended an incense burning ceremony at Thang Long Citadel, visited President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and released fish in Uncle Ho’s fish pond. Addressing the event, President Sang said Vietnam has made important achievements in boosting economic growth, ensuring social security, maintaining social and political order and improving the country’s prestige in the international arena, thanks to efforts and contributions made by the whole nation, including overseas Vietnamese communities. "The Party and State always consider the overseas Vietnamese community an inseparable part of the Vietnamese nation and do their best to support Vietnamese expatriates in doing business, stabilizing their lives and preserving their cultural traditions”, said President Sang.

Vu Thi Mai, an overseas Vietnamese living in the UK said: "Overseas Vietnamese are very excited to come home to celebrate Tet with their relatives. The Party and State have always given a warm reception to us. I’m very happy to be visiting the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum today".