Western students “fall in love” with Vietnamese Tet…

Charming Japanese boy in xoan singing

Hanoi welcomes Tet with cold winds and light rain, but it seems that the cold of winter does not reduce the heat and excitement at the International Cultural Festival organized by the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language, University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi). Almost every year, the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language organizes this festival so that foreign students studying here can celebrate Vietnamese Tet, helping them experience the cultural space of many countries around the world. When I come here, I always feel like I am "traveling" to many countries around the world...
 

Japanese student Okabe Chikara (far left) and his fellow students gracefully perform xoan singing.

It was interesting when I enjoyed potato cakes, mushroom spring rolls, apple cakes, and radish soup from Polish students; kimchi fried rice from Korean students; tomato sauce pasta from American students, or papaya salad from Lao students. Each dish had a unique flavor of the country, giving the diners an interesting feeling. Among those delicious, unique, and strange dishes, I was especially impressed with the water drop cake, a traditional dish of the Japanese people. The creator of this unique cake is Okabe Chikara, a Japanese student.

Okabe Chikara happily told me that the teardrop cake was very “eye-catching” to Vietnamese students, so within just one hour, Okabe Chikara sold out all the cakes she made. “I was able to sell cakes and introduce the cultural value of Japanese cakes, everyone was very excited to hear it, that made me happy!”, Okabe Chikara shared.

While I was still amazed by the very standard Vietnamese voice of this Japanese guy, Okabe Chikara went on stage, along with a Vietnamese student and two Chinese students, to perform the Xoan singing of Phu Tho, a precious intangible cultural heritage of the Ancestral Land, amidst the thunderous applause of visitors attending the Cultural Festival.

Oh my, a Japanese boy singing xoan is so sweet and lovely, just like an artist from the homeland. When he started singing, Okabe Chikara let his soul sink deep into the melody, letting his heart flutter with the peaceful music and if the organizers did not introduce him as a Japanese boy, we would have thought that Okabe Chikara was a Vietnamese student... After the unique xoan performance, I talked with Okabe Chikara. He said that he had been in Vietnam for 6 years and had celebrated Tet in Vietnam many times.

“Vietnamese and Japanese people have many similar customs during Tet such as giving gifts and lucky money to each other to wish each other luck. Japanese people also have taboos such as arguing on the first day of the year will cause trouble for the whole year; on Tet, you should just laugh happily to bring joy to everyone. Those similar cultural features make me feel like Vietnam is my homeland, and I also feel less homesick!”, Okabe Chikara expressed. This Japanese guy has a special love for Vietnam (Okabe Chikara also bragged to me that he has a Vietnamese girlfriend), loves the Vietnamese language deeply, so he feels the Vietnamese Tet culture at a very deep level. Okabe Chikara loves the feeling of the first days of spring the most, going to Hang Ma street to see the sparkling decorations, or visiting Vietnamese friends and teachers.
 

Student Okabe Chikara (Japan) enjoys the Vietnamese bamboo dance.

“I really like banh chung, I know the story of banh chung and banh day of the Vietnamese people. When eating banh chung, I always remember a legend, expressing the Vietnamese people's wish for greater growth and development. I will learn how to wrap banh chung so that I can wrap banh chung myself to treat my teachers and friends during Tet,” Okabe Chikara confided. However, what impressed Okabe Chikara most during Tet in Vietnam was that he often went to Hoan Kiem Lake to admire the Turtle Tower. In Okabe Chikara's eyes, the Turtle Tower is simple and strangely peaceful when reflected on the blue lake surface. The Japanese boy can stand for hours, immersed in the beauty of the Turtle Tower without getting bored.

Cultural bridges bring Vietnamese Tet to the world

Like Okabe Chikara, there are many foreign students studying in Vietnam, including Artem Leleka - a Ukrainian student.
 

Student Artem Leleka (Ukraine) and friends learn about calligraphy culture on Vietnamese New Year.

Among the foreign languages ​​in Asia, Artem Leleka chose Vietnamese because in addition to his love for Vietnam, Artem Leleka also realized that the Vietnamese market is developing rapidly, and he will have many opportunities to develop in the future. In addition, when choosing to study Vietnamese, he had the opportunity to receive a scholarship and study for free at Taras Shevchenko University in Kyiv... Artem Leleka said that Vietnamese Tet is very special because it is the beginning of joy and a warm atmosphere. All Vietnamese people return to their hometowns every Tet and gather together with their families and relatives. Artem Leleka really appreciates this tradition because he understands the importance of bonding between family members. Tet is also an opportunity for everyone to put aside all worries, be tolerant, and be more kind to move towards good things.

Remembering Vietnamese Tet, Artem Leleka said: “My first Tet in Vietnam was in Ho Chi Minh City; a Vietnamese friend invited me to visit his house and we celebrated Tet there. Ho Chi Minh City is full of colorful flowers, everywhere is decorated splendidly, Vietnamese people celebrate Tet very elaborately, rich in cultural identity. I was absorbed in admiring the streets full of yellow apricot blossoms”. In Ho Chi Minh City, Artem Leleka also watched lion and dragon dances and the Ukrainian student said that the uniqueness and diversity of Vietnamese culture is clearly expressed through this type of dance. After that, Artem Leleka also went to explore many interesting tourist destinations such as Ben Tre Island in the middle of rivers and streams, Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History, Nguyen Van Binh book street.

Like Okabe Chikara, the Ukrainian student especially loves green banh chung. “I still remember the first time my Vietnamese teacher made us eat banh chung. The aroma of sticky rice and dong leaves mixed with the rich taste of meat and beans was so delicious, bringing me a warm memory of Vietnamese Tet,” said Artem Leleka.

When I asked about New Year in Ukraine, Artem Leleka said that in his homeland there is no New Year but there is New Year and Christmas. Ukrainians also gather together to celebrate New Year at 12 midnight. Giant Christmas trees will be installed in every city and countryside, and a concert will be held to welcome the New Year. On Christmas Eve, every family will gather together because this holiday is an important Orthodox holiday in Ukraine. Artem Leleka also said that on Christmas Day, Ukrainians will cook 12 traditional dishes symbolizing the 12 apostles...

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, there are currently about 22,000 foreign students studying at 160 Vietnamese training institutions. Many other foreign students that I had the opportunity to talk to said that they have "fallen in love" with Vietnamese Tet. They love the natural scenery, the unique customs of the Vietnamese people, the beautiful New Year traditions that are preserved; they love the image of Vietnamese people working hard all year to save up for Tet; they love the way people are busy preparing for the important rituals of Tet. Feeling the cultural depth of Vietnamese Tet, foreign students have become a bridge connecting Vietnamese culture to the world, spreading the traditional cultural values ​​of Vietnamese Tet to international friends...
At the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, there are currently nearly 1,000 international students from many countries: China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Russia, the US, the UK, Germany, etc. studying, exchanging and interacting. At VNU-USSH, students not only learn Vietnamese, improve their professional knowledge in the majors they love, but also learn, experience and immerse themselves in the rich cultural and artistic life of Vietnam.