Hai Duong people abroad celebrate Independence Day

Towards home

Mr. Vu Hung Dung from Chi Lang Bac commune (Thanh Mien) is working in Shiga province (Japan). This year, the National Day holiday on September 2 falls on a weekend, so his family will eat at a Vietnamese restaurant in Shiga province. For Mr. Dung, the National Day on September 2 is very sacred and meaningful. Before that, he asked his family to send him a national flag to hang in his office.

"These days in my hometown, the village roads and alleys are filled with red flags with yellow stars everywhere. The atmosphere of the countryside markets is bustling with people, as bustling as Tet. The national independence festival makes me miss home and my homeland terribly, especially when I see the image of the national flag on the streets. This year, National Day September 2 falls on a weekend, so I will spend all my time with my family," said Mr. Dung.

These days, the Hai Duong community in Moscow (Russia) often gather together to organize parties or visit some famous tourist destinations. Ms. Nguyen Hong Nhung in Thanh Ha town, currently living in the Russian Federation, said that every Independence Day of the nation, no matter how busy her family is, they still go shopping to cook Vietnamese dishes to burn incense for their ancestors. In the evening, everyone will gather to eat, have fun and talk about memories of the National Day on September 2nd in the place where they were born.

"On the occasion of National Day, September 2nd this year, everyone in my family organized a tour to visit some tourist attractions in the capital Moscow, then returned home to cook a meal to worship our ancestors. Most of the dishes were purely Vietnamese, such as fried spring rolls, spring rolls, chicken, sticky rice, sweet soup, and floating cakes... The children were allowed to wear modernized ao dai and walk around the streets," said Ms. Nhung.

After 7 years of studying abroad in Seoul (South Korea), Ms. Tran Thi Luong (born in 1990) in Ngo Quyen commune (Thanh Mien) still remembers clearly the local activities on September 2nd. It has been many years since she was able to return to her hometown on the occasion of the nation's Independence Day, so she really misses this sacred atmosphere. "I studied at university in Korea for 5 years and am currently continuing to complete my master's degree here. After graduating, I plan to return to Vietnam to work. On the occasion of National Day September 2nd this year, I spent most of my time calling to ask about the health of everyone in my family and friends," Ms. Luong said.

Unite

This year's National Day, September 2, is very special for all Vietnamese citizens working in Seoul (South Korea). On Facebook, the fanpage "Hai Duong compatriots in Korea" with 11,000 members has just shared information that on the evening of September 2, at Namsan Tower, Seoul, the capital, there will be a projection of the Vietnamese national flag on the occasion of National Day, September 2. The projection time will last from 7:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on the same day. Because this is a very special event, the poster hopes that all Hai Duong people living and working in Korea will arrange their time to come and witness it. This article has received much attention from the Hai Duong community in Korea.

Ms. Nguyen Quynh Nga (born in 1993) in Thanh Ha district, who is working in Seoul, said: "Namsan Tower is a symbol of Seoul, so the projection of the Vietnamese national flag on the occasion of National Day, September 2, is a very special event for the Vietnamese community in Korea. Although this is the second time I have witnessed this special event, I am still very excited and eager. My group of 5 people in Hai Duong will come to this tower on the night of September 2 to keep this sacred moment together."

Because they live and work far from home, the Hai Duong community abroad always upholds the spirit of solidarity and mutual assistance. They have established many Hai Duong fellow countrymen groups in countries such as Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Russia, Germany, China, etc. A typical example is the "Hai Duong Fellow Countrymen Association in Taiwan" with nearly 2,500 members, most of whom are international students, workers, engineers, etc. In addition to articles related to job introduction and labor recruitment, the most prominent content of this fanpage is sharing information about the difficult circumstances of Hai Duong people living in Taiwan.

"Many people who come here to work and have work-related accidents do not have enough money for treatment, so they need the support of the whole community. Through the group, many cases have been helped by everyone to return to their homeland. On the occasion of National Day, September 2 this year, we plan to visit a fellow countryman in Binh Giang who had a work-related accident and is being treated at a Taipei hospital," said Nguyen Van Hai, a native of Hai Duong who is working in Taiwan.