Thousands of Vietnamese nationals and international friends attended a special programme at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on February 6 to welcome the traditional Lunar New Year Festival (Tet).

During the three-hour event, participants had the chance to explore the distinctive characteristics of a rural Vietnamese market, traditional dishes and folk games.

Foreign guests were surprised by Vietnam’s traditional costumes, colourful New Year Greetings cards and intricate handicrafts made by Vietnamese nationals in France.

“We bought several products, especially New Year Greetings Cards, for my friends to be framed and hung on the wall,” said L. Catherine, a French guest.

On display at the cuisine stand were special Tet dishes such as spring rolls, pork pie and square cakes. They were displayed in such a way that the Vietnamese who attended felt as if they were enjoying the Tet atmosphere in the homeland with relatives and friends.

Many international visitors were quite satisfied after tasting the dishes.

“I ate shrimp salad and spring rolls which were completely different from what we eat every day. They were very delicious,” said one foreign guest.

Participants also enjoyed an art performance staged by children of Vietnamese nationals living in France. The focal point of the programme was an epic called “Thang Long – Vietnamese Soul” depicting the history of Vietnam thousands of years ago. Vietnamese and French ballet artists performed at the event as well.

The programme was co-hosted by the Vietnamese Association, the Vietnam Students Association and the Vietnamese Youth Association in France.

Source: VOV