Overseas Vietnamese celebrate Tet
(VOV) - Special culinary dishes such as “Pho bo” (beef noodle soup), spring rolls, and Chung cake were the holiday dinner menu features at the cultural centre Woluwe-Saint-Pierre in Brussels on February 2.
Addressing the gathering, Vietnam ambassador to Belgium Pham Sanh Chau extended best holiday wishes and recounted the major developments in the Vietnam-Belgian cooperative relationship during 2013.
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| Ambassador Pham Sanh Chau |
He listed Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit to Belgium, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai’s visit in September to mark 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the recent visit by Belgian Deputy PM Johan Vande Lanotte as the three highlights in diplomatic relations for the year.
The ambassador expressed his hope that overseas Vietnamese will reap greater success in 2014 and strengthen solidarity to build a stronger community.
Philippe Suinen, former High Commissioner of Belgium's French-speaking Community in turn, emphasized the close cooperative relations between the two nations in such fields as education, training, health and space.
Meanwhile, Vietnam ambassador to the Czech Republic also joined a Tet celeberation with the participation of the overseas Vietnamese community in Karlovy Vary and neighbouring areas.
In a working session with President of the Vietnamese Association Chapter in Karlovy Vary, Nguyen Duy Nhat, ambassador Son expressed his delight at the outstanding development of overseas Vietnamese community.
He urged Vietnamese nationals to further enforce solidarity by participating in community activities, educating their children about Vietnamese fine traditions, and strive to preserve their cultural identities, especially by teaching Vietnamese language.
He also visited some businesses of overseas Vietnamese in the region.
The same day, hundreds thousands of people in the West End of London gathered at a Tet festival sponsored by the Asian community in the UK.
A long parade featuring traditional dragon dances including drumming, dancing and martial arts was the spotlight of the festival. A delegation of children in colorful costumes of Asian nations also marched in the parade.
Lorna Morris, a native of Trinidad and Tobago said that this is the first year her family has lived in London and she brought her two children to the parade so they could learn about Asian nations’ tradition to welcome the New Year.
Meanwhile, Jon William, a native Britain, said that his family comes to the festival every year to share the joy with the Asian community.