How Tet Finds Its Way To Vietnamese Living Away From Home 

Tet is felt in the atmosphere: in flower-lined streets, festive songs around the corners, and the constant rush of preparations. It lives in the movement of people returning home, in the quiet excitement before the first day of the new year.

For those living abroad who cannot make the journey back, that atmosphere exists only in memory. Each year, Vietnamese communities overseas recreate Tet through familiar traditions, which help ease homesickness and reclaim a sense of belonging.

We spoke with Vietnamese students and professionals abroad about how they are keeping Tet alive this year.

Viet Anh, International student (Hertfordshire, United Kingdom)

Preparing New Year’s Eve dinner is the way to make Tet alive

This is my third Tet away from home. I’m quite used to living far from my family now. The homesickness isn’t as strong as before, but I still feel like something is missing.

I miss the atmosphere back home, when my parents spend the whole day preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner. They wake up at 5 a.m., go to the market, and cook traditional dishes like banh chung, spring rolls, and braised pork to put on the ancestral altar.

Life continues as usual during Tet. I still have classes, and some years I even have exams. But I try to keep the tradition in my own way. Every year, I travel to London to find banh chung and the ingredients I need. Even if all I do is prepare a simple New Year’s Eve meal, it still makes me feel closer to home.

Hong Dao, Pharmaceutical professional (Nottingham, United Kingdom)

I am granted one week off to celebrate Tet

This is my fifth Tet away from home. It no longer feels strange. Even though I still feel excited as Tet approaches, there’s always a touch of homesickness, and I miss the atmosphere back home.

Being away during Tet makes me appreciate family gatherings more. The distance has helped me grow up, I’ve learned to value Tet differently than I did before.

This year, I have one week off work to celebrate Tet. Maybe because I’m the only international staff member on my team, my British colleagues have been very thoughtful. They wished me a Happy Lunar New Year and even offered me time off during this period.

I’m planning to celebrate Tet with other Vietnamese people in Nottingham. We’re preparing a New Year’s Eve meal together so we can feel a little less homesick in the cold UK weather.

Minh Triet, PhD Candidate (Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic)

We found our way to celebrate Tet - even if it’s not the same as home

I’ve spent seven years abroad so far, and many of those years I celebrated Tet away from home. It’s usually quite simple: we gather at someone’s house, cook banh chung or banh tet together, turn on some loud festive music, and play Vietnamese games like lo to or xi dzach.

On the morning of the first day of the new year, we walk around the city together, like a small version of du xuân (spring outing). It may not be as special as celebrating with our families back in Vietnam, but for international students, that’s more than enough.

This year, I decided to go home to spend Tet with my family. The feeling is completely different from celebrating it in Europe. I feel like a child again, simply being around my family and friends. After a year of travelling and moving from place to place, coming home makes me emotional, like going back to my middle school or high school days, when life felt simple.

Ha My, International student (Boston, United States)

Nothing can replace the feeling of being at home with my family

This year marks my fourth Tet away from home. The feeling remains much the same as it was the first time: a deep sense of homesickness. Even though I have friends and familiar connections here, nothing can replace the feeling of being at home with my family.

This year, Tet falls at the beginning of the week, so we didn’t have much time to prepare. Still, among those of us far from home, Tet somehow found its way to us.

I gathered with other Vietnamese friends to decorate, order familiar dishes, raise a toast to the new year, and play very Vietnamese games like lo to, xi dzach, and phom. Some of the older ones even gave out lucky money.

We came together in a small house, celebrating Tet in our own simple way. Then everyone went back home and returned to classes or work the next day. Even so, I felt truly grateful, and I cherish that moment a lot.

Nancy Luong, second generation Viet Kieu (California, United States)

Tet is the only holiday that my family celebrates

I grew up in a family that only celebrates Lunar New Year - not Christmas, not birthdays, not any other holidays. Therefore, I’m deeply rooted in the traditions of Tet: from giving red envelopes, cleaning our house, praying for our ancestors, to preparing traditional foods such as banh chung.

The meaning of Tet to me is to bring in a new year with positivity, joy and abundance. It is also the time to connect with the community, friends and family - which is the most important part for me. For Tet this year, I will spend time with my family, eat delicious food, and relax.

Nhu Uyen, International student (Boston, United States)

The distance makes Tet feel more special

This is my second year celebrating Tet away from my family. It’s easier than the first year, since I have got a solid group of friends that I considered “my chosen family”. However, there’s still longing for my own family in this special time that would never fully go away.

I think the distance makes Tet feel more special. When I was still in Vietnam, I took Tet for granted to be with my family and loved ones. I treated Tet like just any other holiday where I don’t have school and even get extra pocket money. Now that I’m abroad, I appreciate the sentimental value of Tet more. As a saying: “Distance makes the heart grow fonder”, I think spending Tet away from home makes me feel like I’ve become more grown up. It makes me realize how I’ve slowly grown into my own person with my own life and community, and that feels both scary and exciting at the same time.