Tet, or Vietnamese New Year, is marked in alignment with Lunar New Year celebrations, which this year fall on February 12.
Traditionally, it is a period where Vietnamese families celebrate by gathering and exchanging gifts.
In understanding the needs and challenges of tackling the negative impacts of the pandemic, the Vietnamese Community in Australia (VCA) launched the Happy Tet initiative to deliver gifts to Melburnians who have been significantly affected by the lockdowns, especially the elderly.
During the first two weeks of January, volunteers from the VCA distributed more than 1000 gift packages to people living in public housing in Richmond, Fitzroy, North Melbourne, Flemington, and Collingwood.
Volunteers noted that residents in these buildings were mostly seniors with mobility problems, who found it difficult to leave their homes to buy essential items for themselves.
Volunteers from the Happy Tet initiative delivering gift packages. Source: Thiên Giang Nguyễn
Thien Giang Nguyen, the program coordinator for the VCA, says the initiative is supported by community members and local businesses.
“This program was launched by VCA, coordinated with a number of partners such as the North Richmond Community Health Service, and some merchants, such as the company Master Poultry Group, which is one of the most successful companies run by Vietnamese people,” she says.
The gift packages contained essential items such as rice, soy sauce, fish sauce, chicken, meat, masks, and hand sanitiser.
The items were ordered, carefully packed and prepared by volunteers for two weeks before they were distributed.
Source: Thiên Giang Nguyễn
“We received support from young people from the Dual Identity Leadership Program. They also called on their families to join during Christmas and New Year,” Ms Nguyen says.
“We have 50 to 60 volunteers in total.”
She says the gift recipients were from a number of cultures and faiths.
“This time we aimed to give it to the Vietnamese community but there are also other communities, such as Chinese, Aboriginals, Muslims ... this is Tet, so who wants to receive a gift will get one."
This is not the first time that VCA has organised such a program.
More than 1000 gifts have been delivered to community members. Source: Thiên Giang Nguyễn
Ms Nguyen says during Melbourne’s first lockdown in March, the VCA worked with the Refugee Communities Association of Australia, to distribute gifts to asylum seekers over a 10-week period.
During the second lockdown in July, the VCA ran a giveaway to families who experienced job losses due to the pandemic.
And this time, the Happy Tet program, focused on people living in public housing, especially the elderly.
Ms Nguyen revealed that the VCA is planning another program, this time targeting international students who are unable to return to Vietnam and struggling to secure employment in Australia.
“This time we plan to give out 150 gifts in Footscray to international students. There will certainly be international students who do not receive help from their families, so I think we should also give a hand to those in less fortunate situations than ours.
“We see a great deal of solidarity and love sharing in the community. After the gift distribution, we received thank you messages that touched us deeply and it was great happiness for the volunteers.”
