Chinese reporter with 16 ‘Tets’ in Vietnam
Chinese journalist Zhang Jiaxiang still clearly remembers his experience of Vietnamese Lunar New Year festivals (Tet) when he worked as chief of the Hanoi bureau of the official Chinese News Agency (Xinhua) many years ago.
Zhang, who is now back in China, said every time Tet comes around, he immediately recalls his Vietnamese friends and the atmosphere of Tet in the country, which was festive and wonderful everywhere.
The thing he liked most about Tet in Vietnam is the chance to mix with the throngs in the streets around West Lake or the flower markets in the days up to Tet, where he could see fresh peach branches or kumquat trees laden with fruit. Under the spring drizzle, he would choose a peach branch and a kumquat tree and bring them home just like the Vietnamese.
“During my 18 years of working in Vietnam, I celebrated Tet in the country 16 times. I was greatly impressed by the Vietnamese Tet,” Zhang said. “I remember very well the bustling, joyous and warm atmosphere of the days of Tet, and especially the banh chung (square sticky rice cake) with a strong flavour peculiar to Vietnam.
The Chinese correspondent added that Vietnam’s banh chung is different from China’s; it is bigger and tastes ‘yummy’. “Every Tet, my Vietnamese friends presented me with many banh chung that tasted really good,” he said.
Staying with Vietnamese friends during Tet gave Zhang some everlasting memories. He said Vietnamese attach great importance to the person who first set foot in their house on New Year’s Day. They believe that person will bring good luck to the hosts. He was honoured to be invited many times by Vietnamese friends to enter their homes on the first moment of Lunar New Year’s Day.
Now Zhang is no longer in Vietnam and he misses Vietnamese friends very much. “Through the airwaves of Radio Voice of Vietnam, I would like to wish my Vietnamese friends good health and happiness as well as more prosperity to Vietnam.”