Experiencing Vietnamese Tet Through Foreign Eyes
	Vietnamese Tet - Where “Friends from Afar” Find a Sense of Belonging

In his opening remarks, Vietnamese Ambassador to France Trinh Duc Hai extended New Year wishes of peace and prosperity to the Vietnam Cultural Center in France, associations, and the entire Vietnamese community in France. He also expressed confidence that the Year of the Binh Ngo 2026 would build upon past achievements, ushering the country into a new phase of development and a new era of strong national advancement.

Dinh Ngoc Duc, Director of the Vietnam Cultural Center in France, stated that as the representative agency of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in France, the Center regularly coordinates with associations and partners to organize meaningful cultural activities, creating a shared space for the overseas Vietnamese community.

Children delight in a lion dance performance at the Binh Ngo Spring Fair 2026. (Photo: VNA)

According to him, the Spring Fair is not only an annual event but also an occasion for the community to gather in a warm atmosphere, recreating the traditional Tet spirit of the homeland in the heart of France. Through activities such as making banh chung (traditional square sticky rice cakes), traditional music performances, folk games, and children’s programs, the Center aims to nurture a sense of connection to the homeland, help younger generations better understand their roots and national identity, and thereby strengthen community bonds while preserving and promoting Vietnamese culture.

At the Binh Ngo Spring Fair 2026, overseas Vietnamese and French friends immersed themselves in a vibrant setting adorned with red parallel sentences, lanterns, peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, and lively lion dances, while directly participating in activities such as making banh chung.

Participants received meticulous guidance through each step, from selecting and arranging leaves, measuring rice, preparing mung bean filling, to tying the cakes, and were introduced to the symbolic significance of this traditional product in Vietnamese Tet culture.

Children enjoyed hands-on experiences including painting, coloring, crafting li xi envelopes, and molding to he figurines with themes of Spring and homeland. Meanwhile, food stalls drew particular attention with the flavors of banh chung, fried spring rolls, Vietnamese pork sausage, banh gio, banh tieu, and traditional sweet soups, evoking the familiar taste of Tet back home.

Interwoven with the experiential activities were performances of traditional musical instruments such as the dan tranh and dan T’rung, creating a richly distinctive soundscape that enabled audiences to more deeply appreciate the cultural depth of Vietnam.

In addition, a student-led Gala program featured vibrant singing performances and, notably, a bilingual Tao quan skit reenacting familiar aspects of daily life within the Vietnamese community in France.

The Binh Ngo Spring Fair 2026 in France not only recreated the atmosphere of the traditional Lunar New Year but also became a meeting point for cultural exchange, connecting the Vietnamese community with international friends. Through distinctive cultural activities, the image of a Vietnam rich in identity, open, and full of vitality continues to be introduced and promoted in Paris and across France during the first days of the New Year.

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