07 September 2009

IPC Students Celebrate the 64th Vietnamese Independence Day

A Week of Celebration on IPC Campus

By Shirley Ghozalli. Edited by Moira Blake.

IPC Vietnamese students and staff members in traditional clothes

Vietnamese Independence Day falls on 2nd September, with this year's being the 64th. As last year, Vietnamese students at IPC celebrated the occasion with a cultural display and culinary delights, for the enjoyment of other students on campus.

However, the 2009 celebration was a little different. Instead of having a one-day event, the students organized a four-day event that started on Tuesday, 1st September, and lasted until Friday, 4th September. One of the organizers, Nguyen Phan Linh (a 2008 student), explained, "We wanted every student at IPC to know Vietnam. One more reason is that this week, the foundation students went on a camp. So when they came back to IPC on Thursday afternoon, on the wall in the dining hall they could see the flag and also the name of the day, with the letters made from decorative paper."

At the start of the celebration, the students arranged a display corner in the IPC Library. The display included Vietnamese books, music CDs, art and craft products, maps, musical instruments, plus some brief information about Vietnam. Dressed in Vietnamese traditional clothing, aozai for females and suits for males, the students gathered around the display corner and explained to any visitor about the items on display. The display ran for the whole four days.

For the last day of the celebration, Vietnamese traditional grilled beef or Thịt Bò was served at lunchtime in the dining hall. The food was prepared the night before by the students. The meat was cut thinly and marinated with a mixture of sauces and garlic. It was then skewered on bamboo sticks and grilled. The dish was a welcome addition to the lunchtime menu.

"We received friendly support from IPC management, from the lovely librarians who helped us to set up the display in the library, from the kitchen staff who helped us to make the Vietnamese traditional food, and from the Vietnamese students who worked together to make all things happened."

"As a Vietnamese, I am really proud of my country, not only of its culture and language but also of the long, noble history. The Vietnamese, whether in NZ or in other countries have to do their best to develop Vietnam and to help their international friends know about Vietnam," Linh commented. He hoped to be able to organize a bigger event for next year's celebration because as well as next year being the 65th year of independence, the Vietnamese government is going to celebrate the 1000th year of the establishment of Thăng Long city, known as Ha Noi (Hanoi) in the present day.

Cultural display corner in IPC Library with information and books about Vietnam

Some items on display: Vietnamese music CDs, a map, art and craft products

The Vietnamese flag on the wall of the dining hall

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