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| A cultural performance staged by the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic to welcome the Lunar New Year. (Photo: VNA) |
Hanoi (VNA) – Lunar New Year (Tet) celebrations organised by Vietnamese communities abroad have helped strengthen community ties and promote cultural exchange, with a series of festive events held across Europe, Asia, and the US.
A programme celebrating the Year of the Horse took place in a warm and lively atmosphere at the Sapa trade centre in Prague, the Czech Republic, bringing the spirit and traditions of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year to Vietnamese residents living and working in the city and surrounding areas.
Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador Duong Hoai Nam expressed pride in the growth and cohesion of the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic.
Hoang Dinh Thang, Chairman of the Confederation of Vietnamese Associations in Europe, said maintaining annual Tet activities not only strengthens solidarity within the Vietnamese community, but also expands engagement with local authorities and residents, thereby contributing to the friendship between Vietnam and the Czech Republic.
Another event held at the Sapa trade centre combined Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebrations with the Masopust festival, a traditional Czech cultural festival, to enhance exchanges and mutual understanding between the two peoples.
At the festival, Czech Senator Jana Mrackova Vildumetzova said the combination represented an effective model for community connection, helping Vietnamese residents better understand Czech traditions while enabling the Czech people to become more familiar with Vietnamese culture.
Meanwhile, the Vietnamese Embassy in India organised a “Homeland Spring" programme, bringing together more than 200 officials, overseas Vietnamese, monks, students, engineers, and young intellectuals living, working, and studying in the host country.
In his remarks, Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Hai emphasised that the Vietnamese community in India is an inseparable part of the great national unity bloc, serving as an important resource and a bridge of friendship between Vietnam and India.
He noted that 2025 saw continued substantive development in the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with their trade reaching a record of approximately 16.5 billion USD, and air connectivity expanded to nearly 90 flights per week between the two countries.
At the same event, President of the Vietnamese Community Association in India Nguyen Huynh Khanh Linh highlighted the official establishment of the Vietnamese Students’ Association in India, bringing together nearly 400 young intellectuals and contributing new vitality to the community while promoting Vietnam’s image at leading Indian educational institutions.
In Washington, D.C., the Vietnamese Embassy in the US also held a similar “Homeland Spring” celebration, attended by overseas Vietnamese, international friends, and representatives of local organisations.
Speaking at the gathering, Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Dung affirmed the consistent policy of the Party and State in recognising overseas Vietnamese as an inseparable part of the nation and an important resource of national unity, describing the community as “an indispensable part” of the country’s development in its new era.
He praised the increasingly diverse contributions of the Vietnamese community in the US in fields such as science-technology, education, healthcare, business, arts, and social life, calling them a valuable resource for national development and for strengthening Vietnam-US relations. He also expressed confidence that the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership would continue to develop positively and sustainably on the basis of mutual respect and shared interests.
Representing the Vietnamese community in the US, Norman N. Van Toai said embassy-organised Tet gatherings provide meaningful spiritual encouragement, offering overseas Vietnamese a valuable opportunity to reunite and celebrate with a sense of homeland connection.
Speaking to Vietnam News Agency correspondents ahead of the Lunar New Year, Gary Thanh Nguyen, chairman of the patriotic businessmen and Vietnamese people club in the Washington metropolitan area, praised Vietnam’s economic growth over the past year and expressed hope that the country would enjoy a year of happiness and strong economic expansion, achieving double-digit growth targets./.
