In detail, 10 officers and staff from the company were divided into 5 teams. Each team must make 20 Chung cakes within 120 minutes.
Before the competition, the participants thoroughly prepared ingredients, including sticky rice, pork, green beans, Phrynium placentarium (dong) and banana leaves.
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The company’s members decorate the altar to welcome Tet holiday. |
The contest created a joyful atmosphere, contributing to easing homesickness of Engineering Company Rotation 1’s members. It offered a chance for the Vietnamese “blue beret” soldiers in Abyei to introduce cultural beauty of the Vietnamese traditional Tet (lunar New Year) holiday to international friends and colleagues.
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Participants of the Chung cake making competition |
Major Dang Van Le, Deputy head of the Engineering Company Rotation 1 shared that several international friends and colleagues at the UNISFA eagerly joined the competition, with the support of Vietnamese officers.
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Contestants prepare ingredients for the competition. |
Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hai Lien, a nurse of the level-1 field hospital under the Logistic-Security Section, said that making Chung cakes in Abyei was such an unforgettable experience.
With skillful hands, contestants of the Engineering Company Rotation 1 completed ten pairs of Chung cakes in 120 minutes. Concluding the competition, the organizing panel awarded one first, two second, and two third prizes to outstanding teams.
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The Vietnamese soldiers instruct international friends and colleagues on making a Chung cake. |
Previously, a Neu pole (a tall bamboo tree with red garment strips used to ward off evil spirits during Tet holiday) was planted at the UNISFA’s Highway Base. It was made by the Engineering Company Rotation 1’s members.
The Neu pole was about 25 meters in height. It was adorned with LED lights and eye-catching decorative items. Especially, a huge five-pointed star and the flag of Vietnam were put on the top of the pole.
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Various activities take place to welcome Tet. |
The Vietnamese Neu pole in Abyei drew the attention of local people and the United Nations staff at the UNISFA, among others. The image of Neu pole has become a sacred symbol of the Vietnamese traditional lunar New Year. It was an occasion for Vietnamese “blue beret” soldiers to popularize Vietnam’s customs and practices during the Tet holiday to international friends.
Translated by Quynh Oanh