Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebrations at Huddersfield

Tet, the Lunar New Year celebration in Vietnam, took place on the 1 February 2022. Tet is drawn by the colors of the earth and sky; like peach blossoms blooming on the branches, like apricot blossoms in the golden sun, like the blue sky in spring white clouds. Tet ignites many emotions for Vietnamese people, especially people living abroad. Tet reawakens feelings of home, urges people to gather together to say goodbye to an old year and welcome a new year full of happiness.

After a break of more than two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietsoc were able to host our Lunar New Year - Tet celebrations at the University again. The event was held on February 1 and was attended by nearly 200 students, lecturers, and staff across the University. The evening was warmly welcomed and received positive feedback from both international and Vietnamese friends.

It took two weeks for us to plan everything for the event, from cooking the food to serve, planning the performances, organising decorations and running social media promotions. I was lucky that I have a brilliant student committee to support me in planning a successful event. I also received huge support from the International Office including the University’s International Student Experience Manager, Alan Tobi, who has always provided lots of support.

The evening began with an introduction which gave thanks to all friends and staff who were participating in the performances and stalls. We then held unique, attractive, and diverse musical performances prepared and choreographed by the performance team.

We not only had an opportunity to watch the cultural performances of Vietnam, but we were also joined by international friends from Hong Kong, China who also gave performances.

The delicious dishes of the Tet holiday were available for students to try, including spring rolls, chicken fried rice, vegetable salad, and Khuc Bach desserts. All of our Tet dishes were cooked by our society members and catering team.

The atmosphere of Tet was wonderful and helped to alleviate some of the homesickness of our students living far from home.

I would say that the event could not have been a success without the support from my committee, the International Office, and participants from all over campus. I learnt many things from planning and hosting this event which has allowed me to learn more about managing and running events, interacting with people, preparing social-media content, and boosting my confidence. My society Vietsoc plans to host some more events throughout the year for everyone to attend.