Phung Thi Tuyet is decorating her house and preparing offerings to place on the ancestral altar, which has become her habit since she moved to the US. She said: "For me, arranging the ancestral altar during Tet is very important. By doing this, I teach my children to remember their ancestors and hope for a new year full of blessings. I’ll try to prepare traditional Tet dishes like boiled chicken, bamboo shoot soup, and Chung cake. I’ll buy all necessary Vietnamese ingredients as soon as possible because it’s not easy to find them here."

A Vietnamese family in the US is wrapping Chung cakes (square sticky rice cake) for Tet (Photo: Pham Huan)

This is the first time Nguyen Thi Van celebrates Tet in the US. She said she feels nostalgic about Tet when family members meet each other and make hectic preparations. She said: "Tet is extremely crucial for Vietnamese people. It’s the time for family reunions and paying tribute to their ancestors. My whole family often gathered around the meal on the last day of the last lunar month and the one on the first day of the first lunar month."

On this occasion, Vietnamese Embassy in Tanzania held a gathering between embassy staff and the Vietnamese community living there. Ambassador Nguyen Kim Doanh briefed participants about Vietnam’s socio-economic situation and its achievements in 2017. Ambassador Doanh said Vietnam’s success was thanks to contributions by Vietnamese at home and abroad. He said he wants the Vietnamese communities to unite and support each other, preserve national culture, and enhance friendly relations and cooperation between Vietnam and Tanzania.