With a passion for travel and discovery, Iryna studied international relations majoring in English and German. She had high interest in Asia and wanted to have a chance to discover Asian cultures.

In late 2016, Iryna came to Vietnam for the first time under a student exchange program between her Belarusian school and Hanoi University. She was eager to begin the 8-month study and vowed to discover as many things as possible.

In Vietnam, Iryna was surprised when realizing that Vietnamese celebrate two new year holidays.

“At that moment, I lived in a dormitory for foreign students. I was surprised when realizing that on pre-Tet days, the areas around the university were empty and the atmosphere turned quiet, which was different compared with ordinary days,” she recalled.

Later, she realized that Vietnamese students leave the cities for their hometowns to reunite with their family members during Tet.

On the last day of the old lunar year, Iryna and a group of foreign students decided to visit the Old Quarter in Hanoi to experience the Tet atmosphere.

“Streets were decorated in different colors. People wore beautiful costumes and they all looked happy and excited,” she said “The closer the New Year came, the more people flocked to the central area of the city. I had never witnessed such a noisy new year countdown and happy atmosphere before."

Iryna said in her hometown, people organize a large meal at night, on the eve of new year. They write down their wishes on paper and then burn the papers. The ashes are put into a glass of wine which they drink exactly at the moment between the old and new years. They believe that by doing this, all wishes will come true.

Iryna then met a group of travelers heading for Ta Xua (Son La) and she decided to join them after hearing about the beauty of the mountainous area.

Iryna was surprised when seeing Vietnamese trekking by motorbike. She was worried because she had never before traveled a long distance by motorbike.

“Oh my god, the landscapes of the northern mountainous provinces are so beautiful. Hills, mountains, fields, winding passes were all strange but extremely attractive to me,” she recalled.

On Ta Xua mountain, for the first time she could see clouds nearby. It was also the first time Iryna could enjoy the dishes of Tet, with nem (spring rolls) and banh chung (square glutinous rice cake).

The trip prompted her to discover more about Vietnamese culture. She rambled about Hanoi and neighboring cities and provinces. She went to the central region and Da Nang, considered the most livable city in Vietnam. During the trips, she met a Vietnamese man who later became her boyfriend.

After eight months in Vietnam, Iryna returned to Belarus to continue her studies. But she often flew to Vietnam on summer and winter holidays, where she and her boyfriend discovered different localities in Vietnam.

In 2019, after graduating from university, Iryna decided to start her business with encouragement from family members, who believed that Iryna would be happy living and working in Vietnam. Her relatives came to Vietnam once and were pleased about the trip.

Iryna has celebrated Tet four times. She and Vietnamese friends clean homes, decorate homes with peach blossoms, set out a five-fruit tray to worship ancestors, wear ao dai, and go to see relatives during Tet.

Iryna said the most worrying thing for her is gaining weight because there are many dishes to enjoy during Tet. She likes banh chung, nem ran, gio cha (pork pies), boiled chicken, braised fish, and fried banhchung dipped in soy sauce.

“What I like most about Vietnamese Tet culture is the togetherness. No matter how far away you are, when Tet comes, you return home and gather with your grandparents, parents, and relatives,” she said.

Linh Trang - Xuan Minh