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After getting married abroad, Mr. Hung and his wife lived in the West for 6 years before returning to Vietnam to settle down. When he went to study abroad, Mr. Hung was alone. When he returned, he brought his wife and first-born son with him, so his family and friends joked that "he went out one and came back three".

Recently, Hung's wife, Anna, gave birth to their second child right on Christmas. So he invited his mother-in-law to Vietnam to celebrate the traditional New Year, also to help his wife feel less lonely.

Mrs. Malisa is very good at taking care of newborns because she is a retired nurse. Having her mother take care of her during her confinement period, Anna was very happy. A week after giving birth, she put on light makeup, dressed warmly, went out for a walk, and breathed in the fresh air. She was not as abstinent as some Vietnamese women are when giving birth.

Hung felt secure with his grandmother holding the baby, bathing him, and making milk for him to drink from a bottle. His mother had back pain, so taking care of the baby was difficult. His mother visited her daughter-in-law and grandson for two days and then returned to her hometown to prepare for the traditional Tet holiday. His mother enthusiastically invited her in-laws to celebrate Tet with the family. Mrs. Malisa only knew a few common Vietnamese words like "thank you" and "hello" because this was her first time in Vietnam.

The family reunion meals during the recent Tet holiday were warm and joyful because Hung's extended family often gathered together. Each person had a job, and everyone was busy preparing traditional dishes. The happiest moment was when the whole family gathered to wrap banh chung, boil the cakes, offer them to the ancestors, and then enjoy the first cakes together.

Anna put her baby to sleep in the crib and went into the kitchen to ask her mother-in-law to show her how to make spring rolls. During the past few Tet holidays, her mother-in-law taught her how to cook traditional Vietnamese dishes, but she forgot when she didn’t make them herself. Her mother-in-law also spoiled her daughter-in-law, so whenever her daughter-in-law wanted to eat something, she would make it and pack it up and send it to the city for her to eat.

Her mother-in-law makes delicious spring rolls, crispy and flavorful, and she can eat a lot without getting bored. If her mother-in-law doesn't have time to send them, she calls the restaurant to order them to be delivered to her house. She's not a heavy cook, but whenever she returns to her hometown, she rushes into the kitchen and wants to do everything with her mother-in-law. Today, she wrapped spring rolls for her mother-in-law to fry. She also made a salad with tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumber. The sour, spicy, salty, and sweet flavors blend together deliciously.

Among Vietnamese dishes, she and her eldest son like spring rolls the most. Mrs. Malisa also likes crispy fried spring rolls. When everyone complimented “delicious, delicious”, she also imitated by raising two fingers and exclaiming “delicious, delicious”, making the whole family laugh. The reunion meal before Mr. Hung’s small family returned to the city after Tet holiday took place in joy and warmth.

Recalling the past, when Hung asked his parents for permission to marry a Western woman, no one agreed to support him. His parents were afraid that if their son did not return to Vietnam, they would be far away from their children and grandchildren, and they did not know when they would be able to sit down and have a meal with all the family members. His parents thought of many difficult scenarios to prevent and persuade him to give up the choice of marrying a Western woman and returning to Vietnam to marry a Vietnamese woman. But in the end, Hung still followed his heart. He married Anna abroad, lived abroad, had enough experience in the West, and thinking of his aging parents, he brought his wife and children back to Vietnam to live.

Now, traveling between countries is easy and convenient. Communication is also fast, all you need is a smartphone and no matter how far the distance is, it becomes near. Gradually, Hung's parents also thought more openly and happily welcomed their daughter-in-law from a faraway country. Now, Hung's parents are even happier when their daughter-in-law and grandchild can speak Vietnamese, enough for them to communicate and chat. This year, Hung and Anna's family has a new member, so everyone is happy. They understand that true happiness is sincere love and warm reunion that helps family members bond together.