Kurt Bergstrom and Tet Holiday in Vietnam
I met him at his office after the working hours. As the Tet holiday is nearing, I suggested to talk on the topic : Foreigners and Tet. He consented with pleasure and I was totally surprised at his profound understanding, love and attachment to the traditional Tet of Vietnam.
Kurt Bergstrom is approaching 60 years old and is Director of North Engineering Vietnam. Before working officially in Vietnam in 1980, he often visited Vietnam as Swedish inspector at Bai Bang paper mill (Viet Tri), wood processing projects in Ham Yen (Tuyen Quang), Vinh Tuy and then Cau Cao Dong project (Ha Sanh). His first experience of Tet was in 1978 when his superior phoned and asked him to go to Vietnam and continue the job in Bai Bang. Like him, many Vietnamese colleagues could not celebrate Tet with their families. They organised a New Year party at the camp with several traditional and tasty dishes. “Then I went to Hanoi, stayed in Dan Chu hotel, got up on the Eve of the Lunar New Year and joined the joyful crowd at Hoan Kiem Lake,” he recalled.
In later years working in Hanoi, he understood better the cultural tradition of the East. He feels that Tet is similar to Christmas in the West. People are busy decorating the house, making food, eating and singing with their beloved ones. However, there are certain differences. Each begins with the first day of different calendars: Solar and Lunar, more than a month apart. The Tet celebrations are sometimes prolonged for a month: preparation for nearly one month and celebration for another month. The preparation is in full swing before Tet with decorations of flowers and lamps, food and rice cakes banh trung, banh day. The best food and flowers are believed to bring good luck and fortune to the family.
As Tet approaches, Kurt prefers walking around the streets, enjoying the jubilant and colourful atmosphere, joining with the crowd to buy some things for Tet. He said nem (Spring roll)is the best food, while banh chung is too sticky. For many years in Vietnam, he can now share banh chung with Vietnamese friends and even prepare some Vietnamese food himself. At Tet, he joined his staff visiting each other’s families, wishing them good luck in the New Year, sipping some drinks, they review the past year and plan for the New Year. Like the Vietnamese, he sometimes visits pagodas and prays for good luck.
For this Tet At Dau (Rooster), he said he is better prepared with lucky money for the children and a “good envelop” for his friends. He plans to stay for a long time in Vietnam and wishes to have a “Vietnamese friend” to prepare for a better Tet in the coming years. I wished him all the best and hope that the coming Spring flourishes for him in every way.
Vietnamese
