A flight from Dallas to Vietnam can take over 18 hours, so TCU’s largest group of international students brought a piece of home to campus and came together to celebrate their culture. Students gathered around decorated tables to celebrate the year of the dragon on Friday, enjoying traditional Vietnamese food such as sticky rice with pork, egg rolls and veggie wraps. Minh Le, a first-year marketing major, said being around others from Vietnam and hearing their experiences makes him feel like he’s back home. “The most important thing is being around people; they understand you and they can relate to you as you all are in a new place,” he said.

Vietnamese music filled the room, as people took to a stage to speak and perform. A panel of Vietnamese students shared their experiences and upbringing, highlighting aspects of their culture and what brought them to TCU. Students could also partake in traditional Vietnamese activities such as a game called Bau Cau. The game is played with avatars, like deer, chicken, a pot, fish, crab or a shrimp. “We talk with international clubs to plan out the events,” John Nguyen, a senior computer science major and the president of the International Christian Fellowship Club who helped organize the event said. “The representatives of the clubs normally have ideas in mind, and we just help them out with it.” The night was capped off with students singing traditional Vietnamese songs. It didn’t take long before the entire room joined in and were singing and dancing alongside the people on stage.