In his “happy home” in Ho Chi Minh City, Korean national Jang Hyojin and his wife are cooking braised pork for Tet. Though married to a Vietnamese woman, this is the first time he has celebrated Tet in her hometown.
Jang Hyojin’s family has always celebrated Tet in the RoK in the past. This year though, due to COVID-19, the family decided to celebrate the holiday in Vietnam. Lien, Jang’s wife, was especially happy because she had an opportunity to introduce her husband and children to a traditional Vietnamese Tet.
More and more foreigners are looking for a taste of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. The foreign community living, working, or traveling in Vietnam has gradually adapted to the Tet atmosphere, from shopping and preparing for Tet to attending family gatherings. Amid the pandemic, everyone enjoys the Tet atmosphere with their families even more.
Vietnamese people now celebrate both the Lunar and Western New Years, and many foreigners who only celebrated the Western New Year before now also enjoy Tet. This cultural blending contributes to preserving and upholding the country’s traditional customs./.
