Tet gatherings held for OVs in European, American countries

Hanoi: Get-togethers have been held recently in France, Russia, Canada, and Italy for overseas Vietnamese to welcome the Lunar New Year of the Dragon. On February 3, the General Union of Vietnamese People in France (UGVF) held the largest-scale Tet (Lunar New Year) gathering at Pavillon Baltard centre, attracting the participation of over 2,000 overseas Vietnamese (OVs). The UGVF organised booths with many culinary specialties and handicrafts, imbued with Vietnamese cultural traditions. Participants were also entertained with art performances and folk games of Vietnam. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese Association and the Vietnamese Business Association in Russia jointly held the 'Xuan Que huong' (Homeland Spring) programme. Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi recalled outstanding achievements of the nation as well as Vietnam-Russia relations in the past year, which were partly contributed by the Vietnamese community in Russia. Khoi reiterated the Party and State's consistent policy that the Vietname se community abroad, including OVs in Russia, is an inseparable part and a resource of the Vietnamese ethnic community. On the same day, the Vietnamese Embassy in Ottawa also organised a Tet gathering for Vietnamese people living, working, and studying in Canada. On February 2 evening, a similar event was also organised in Milan city by the Vietnamese Embassy in Italy./. Source: Vietnam News Agency