Master's Tea Club No. 6 welcomes students from Giessen University (Germany)

At the beginning of the meeting, USSH students gave a short presentation on the festivals that are taking place and are about to take place in Vietnam and Germany, notably introducing the origin, meaning and activities to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival - a festival that is attracting the attention of international students. German students were interested in the meaning of the Mid-Autumn Festival in Eastern countries - including Vietnam, that the image of the biggest and roundest full moon in August symbolizes fullness, family reunion, and a bountiful harvest. The festival with activities such as lion dance, lantern procession, and Mid-Autumn Festival feast also attracted the attention of many guests from far away. During the conversation, Associate Professor Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan shared intimately with the students attending MTC about his childhood memories of Mid-Autumn Festival, as well as the differences between the atmosphere of the Mid-Autumn Festival in the past and present. The Japanese student continued with the story of the Jugoya festival of the land of the rising sun, associated with the custom of moon viewing on the full moon day of Otsuki-mi in mid-autumn. Although taking place at the same time of year, the customs in Japan have many differences compared to the Mid-Autumn Festival in China and Vietnam.

After the presentation, the professors and students attending MTC had the opportunity to enjoy moon cakes with many flavors from traditional mixed to modern chestnut prepared by the MTC organizing committee members. Next, it was the German students' turn to talk about their experiences at the Oktoberfest festival - the world's largest and most famous beer festival taking place in Munich, Germany in October. Professor Detlef Briesen's sharing about his own memories when he was young, when he participated in this festival brought joyful laughter from the MTC participants.

The second part of the meeting was a discussion about the traffic situation in Hanoi as well as traffic stories in cities around the world. For many German students, this was their first time in Vietnam. They shared their surprise and excitement when seeing Vietnamese people driving motorbikes as well as their first experience crossing the street in Hanoi. After the USSH students gave some figures about the traffic situation in Vietnam in general and Hanoi in particular, the story about traffic in the world and in Vietnam was discussed enthusiastically by scholars and students. Many opinions agreed that traffic in Vietnam, Germany, Japan or Thailand all have their own characteristics, reflecting the cultural and historical characteristics of each country. The issue of banning motorbikes in the future in Hanoi was also mentioned. Professor Detlef Briesen, with his own knowledge and experience during his time living and working in Hanoi, said that motorbikes are a cultural feature of Hanoi, and it is not necessary to ban or eliminate them completely, but instead, it is necessary to find solutions to manage and change the awareness and behavior of traffic participants; thereby contributing to limiting and overcoming traffic problems in Hanoi in particular and Vietnam in general today.

Some pictures of the meeting