With the eagerly-awaited Tet just a step away, young engineers and workers on an offshore oil rig in Ba Ria-Vung Tau are preparing bánh chưng (the square glutinous rice cake), apricots, jams, flowers, and some traditional New Year-themed decorations for the upcoming Tet.
Hoang Long oil company Tuesday paid a visit to the oil-rig staff of CTK3, bringing them a special gift – an apricot tree that created much excitement and joy among nearly 100 engineers and workers at the oil rig.
Bui Khac Phong, an engineer, carefully put the tree in a plastic pot and gave it the pride of place next to the bust of President Ho Chi Minh in the meeting room.
Pham Ngoc Dao, engineer and representative of Hoang Long company, told Tuoi Tre that these modest gifts from the mainland prove a huge source of encouragement to the oil-rig staff.
He added that for married people, gifts from their family also help ease their homesickness and give them a much-needed morale boost.
Phung Quang Huy, an 30-year-old engineer who has lived and worked in the CTK3 for 7 years, told Tuoi Tre that Lunar New Year’s Eves offshore are unforgettable moments in his life.
“Back home, my family often prepare offerings, especially mâm ngũ quả (the five-fruit tray), to worship our ancestors on Lunar New Year’s Eve, which is a time for family members to get together, exchange best wishes and welcome in the New Year with a feast,” he said.
A hundred and twenty kilometers from the nearest shore, on what all the offshore oil rig staff consider as their second home, Huy and other workers would get together in the meeting hall and eat bánh chưng and bánh tét (the cylindrical glutinous rice cake) and sing and dance to celebrate Tet.
They also decorate the oil rig with flowers, ornamental trees, and some other adornments.
“Over here we celebrate Tet in the same way we do in the mainland,” Phong said.
To get over homesickness, some of them phone home to talk with their families and send them their Tet greetings.
Meanwhile for Tran Trong Hiep, who has worked in the oil rig for 14 years, much as they look forward to celebrating the upcoming Tet, they do not allow themselves to neglect their duties.
