TORONTO — Vietnamese overseas in the US and Canada enjoyed activities to celebrate Tết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year in their host country.

Việt Nam’s Embassy in the US celebrated Tết for Vietnamese people living in Washington DC and neighbouring areas last Saturday.

Some 300 Vietnamese attended the event, which featured traditional music and Tết food.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the US, Phạm Quang Vinh and Vietnamese people here burnt incense to pray for a year of peace, prosperity and happiness for the country and Vietnamese overseas.

Speaking at the event, the Ambassador briefed the audience on the development in Việt Nam and praised the contribution of Vietnamese living in the US to home country’s development and Việt Nam-US ties.

Also on this occasion the Ambassador recounted the important phases of the two countries’ relationship as well as diplomatic achievements of the country over the year.

Earlier this month, Vietnamese overseas in Toronto and Montreal, Canada also celebrated the tradtional new year in the freezing -20 degrees Celsius weather.

This was the first time Canada-Việt Nam Society, a representative organisation of Vietnamese people in Canada, worked with Việt Nam Embassy in Canada to hold such an event for Vietnamese people to celebrate Tết together.

With youth theater troupe artists and other beloved Vietnamese artists including Chí Trung and Ngọc Huyền, participants enjoyed familiar music of the three regions of Việt Nam as well as comedy drama.

Also on this occasion, the Vietnamese overseas in Canada held a fund raising event to support poor people in the central Việt Nam.

Canadian senators and friends including Senator Michael Levitt also attended the event and lauded the contributions of the Vietnamese community to the political, economic, social and multicultural environment of Canada as well as the development of the Việt Nam-Canada relationship. — VNS