The first Homeland Spring in Ireland: A warm and vibrant Vietnamese Tet
WVR - On the evening of February 1st, asmidst the bustling atmosphere of welcoming the Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026, the Vietnamese Embassy in Ireland organized the Homeland Spring program in Dublin.
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| Ambassador Pham Toan Thang delivers the opening speech at the first Homeland Spring in Ireland. |
The event attracted over 300 Vietnamese expatriates living, studying, and working in Ireland, creating a warm and vibrant Vietnamese Tet atmosphere in the heart of Europe.
In his opening remarks, Vietnamese Ambassador to Ireland Pham Toan Thang emphasized that Homeland Spring - Year of the Horse 2026 is the first activity organized by the Embassy for the Vietnamese community in Ireland since its establishment. The program serves as an occasion for expatriates to meet and interact, bringing a sense of reunion and connection to the Vietnamese community abroad during the early days of the new spring, contributing to preserving and spreading traditional cultural values.
On this occasion, the Ambassador informed the community about Vietnam's outstanding achievements in socio-economic development and foreign affairs in 2025, particularly the significant outcomes of the 14th National Congress of the Party held in January 2026.
The Ambassador highlighted the Party and State's overarching goal of building a developed, high-income, fair, and civilized Vietnam, where the people are at the center, both as the subject, the goal, and the driving force of the country's development process. Ambassador Phạm Toàn Thắng affirmed that the overseas Vietnamese community, including those in Ireland, is an inseparable part of the national unity bloc and a crucial bridge between Vietnam and international friends.
In this context, the establishment of Vietnam's first resident embassy in Ireland holds particularly profound significance. It not only marks a new development in bilateral diplomatic relations and reflects trust in the long-term cooperation prospects between the two countries but also affirms the Party, State, and Government's attention to the Vietnamese community in Ireland, aiming to build a united, strong community that preserves national identity and always looks towards the homeland.
Ambassador Pham Toan Thang also appreciated the positive strides in the friendly and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Ireland, based on shared values such as the aspiration for peace, fairness, prosperity, and sustainable development. This is considered an important foundation for the two countries to continue promoting increasingly substantive and diverse cooperation, especially in the context of celebrating the 30th anniversary of Vietnam-Ireland diplomatic relations (1996 - 2026).
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| The event attracted over 300 Vietnamese expatriates living, studying, and working in Ireland. |
Expressing deep gratitude, the Ambassador acknowledged the practical contributions of the Vietnamese community in Ireland in preserving and spreading Vietnamese cultural identity across generations, as well as the love and care of Irish families for Vietnamese adopted children, creating culturally rich and meaningful connections. The Ambassador also appreciated the active role of the expatriates, especially the Vietnamese Student Association in Ireland, in successfully co-organizing the first Homeland Spring program.
Sharing their feelings at the event, the expatriates expressed their emotion and honor at attending Homeland Spring in Ireland for the first time. Associate Professor Dr. Tran Le Nam, currently teaching at University College Dublin (UCD), expressed his emotion upon learning that despite being newly operational, the Embassy made efforts to organize a warm and meaningful gathering, rich in traditional Tet atmosphere. He expressed confidence that this would be the beginning of many meaningful and practical activities to follow, contributing to strengthening the connection of the Vietnamese community in Ireland and positively contributing to elevating the friendly relations between the two countries.
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| A warm and vibrant Vietnamese Tet atmosphere in Ireland. |
Ms. Vu Minh Huyen, representing the Vietnamese Student Association in Ireland, shared the pride and happiness of Vietnamese students in enjoying traditional dishes and listening to traditional melodies, bringing each international student a familiar and warm feeling as if returning to their family during the homeland Tet. Mrs. Sabrina Folley (former Vice President of the Irish-Vietnamese Adoption Association) and her husband, Mr. Nick Folley, expressed their emotion when having the opportunity to connect with the Vietnamese community for their adopted son and were delighted with the establishment of the Vietnamese Embassy in Ireland.
The Homeland Spring - Year of the Horse 2026 program became more lively and cozy with cultural performances rich in national identity by artists from the Vietnamese Cultural Center in France and the Vietnamese Student Association in Ireland. Additionally, traditional Tet dishes and gifts vividly recreated the Vietnamese cultural space in the heart of the "Emerald Isle", leaving a deep impression on the attendees.
Some images from the event:
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| Cultural performance by the Vietnamese Student Association in Ireland. |
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| Traditional musical instrument performance. |
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| The Ambassador awards the first prize to a participant. |
