HCM CITY — Foreign diplomats based in HCM City and business executives have joined a special event in the city to celebrate Tết (Lunar New Year).

The event “Tết Celebration 2022” was hosted recently by Le Thị Quỳnh Trang, chairwoman of Vietnam International Fashion Week (VIFW) and president of the Council of ASEAN Fashion Designers organised by the Viet Nam Fashion Week.

It attracted Madan Mohan Sethi, Consul General of India in HCM City; Daniel Stork, Consul General of The Netherlands in HCM City; and Natthapol NaSongkhla, Acting Consul General of Thailand to HCM City. 

It included Michele D’Ercole, the executive director of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Viet Nam (ICHAM), and Delphine Rousselet, project director of the EU-Vietnam Business Network. 

A number of Vietnamese fashion designers and celebrities were also in attendance.

They wore ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) and took part in traditional Tết activities like making banh chưng (square sticky rice cake), learning thư phap (Vietnamese calligraphy), and listening to folk songs and music.  

They watched artisans make Vietnamese toys and cook Tết dishes like banh chưng, thịt kho trung (caramelised braised pork and eggs), and dưa hanh muối (pickled onion).

The event included a fashion show featuring ao dai designs by Bảo Bảo House and Golden Era - two leading brand names in Vietnamese fashion.

The designs in silk, satin and cotton highlighted Vietnamese culture and lifestyle. 

“2021 was a tough year for everyone due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tết is the time for Vietnamese people and foreigners who live and work here to think and hope for a better future in 2022 – the Year of Tiger,” the event’s host Trang said. 

“We hope our event, Tết Celebration 2022, is an opportunity for expatriates to discover Vietnamese traditions and culture.” 

Trang was honoured as the Brand Ambassador for the project True Italian Taste 2021 by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Viet Nam (ICHAM). 

The project is promoted and financed by the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. It aims to enhance and safeguard authentic Italian agri-food products. It has involved 36 Italian Chambers of Commerce abroad in 22 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Trang received a master's degree in finance at Swinburne University in Australia.

She was named in the Top 50 Most Influential Women list selected by Forbes Vietnam in 2017.

Trang is President of CAFD, the first fashion association established by the ASEAN Secretariat in 2020. — VNS