During the Vietnamese New Year (Tet), the students celebrated with their families by visiting relatives, receiving lucky money, eating traditional foods, decorating their homes with flowers, playing games, and attending performances. They enjoyed spending time with family and experiencing the festivities of the holiday.

1. Contents
English Center p2
Celebrating Tet p3-6
Grade Four p7
Grade Three p8
Grade Two p9
Grade One p10
Preparatory p11
Kindergarten p12
Pre Kinder p13
Nursery 14
Pre Nursery p15
Tet Fun Day Photos
P16 - 17
School Holidays
Hung Kings Memorial
Apr 6
Reunification Day &
Labor Day
Apr 29 - May 3
Summer Holiday
May 31 - Aug 21
See
Phoenix Fun Day
Photos
Pages 16 & 17
Newsletter of Phoenix School
A
WORK OF HEART
Number 20, February 2017
Hue, Vietnam
33/9 Nguyen Hoang, Phuong Kim Long, Thanh Pho Hue
Tel: (85-54)6564 839 Fax: (84-54)3519 617
Email: phoenixschoolvn@gmail.com
Websites: www.phoenixeducation.asia
www.fundraisingforeducation.net/
From everyone here at Phoenix Education, we wish you
all a very happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous new
year in the year of the rooster.
Trường Phượng Hoàng kính chúc mọi người một năm
Đinh Dậu hạnh phúc, mạnh khỏe, bình an và thịnh
vượng.
Tết Fun Day at Phoenix

2. The Vietnamese New Year or Tet is the
most popular holiday in Vietnam and is cele-
brated with much enthusiasm and religious fer-
vour. Much like the New Year celebrations of
China and South Korea that follow the Lunar
Calendar, Tet too is a celebration of the arrival
of spring and the beauty that comes with it.
With the winter months coming to an
end, where the barren Earth comes back to life
with beautiful blossoms, Tet celebrates the end
of another year, and new beginnings that
bloom like spring flowers.
Tet is a time of familial and communal
joy and happiness with friends and family com-
ing together to celebrate the momentous occa-
sion and spending quality time together. Along
with the ritualistic cleansing, decorating the
houses and other traditions that are associated
with Tet, another important aspect is New Year
Wishes. The younger kids greet the elders with
New Year wishes and receive gifts in return.
On this occasion, Phoenix English Center wish
you all the best and a very Happy New Year.
May this year bring health, prosperity and
peace to us all.
2017 is the year of the
Rooster. Before Tet, I
was very excited. My
family bought lots of flow-
ers to decorate our
house. On the first three
days the weather was
great. I visited my rela-
tives and got lots of lucky
money. Then, I went to
the pagoda with my mom
for praying for health and
peace to my family. I had
a lot of fun through Tet. I
love Tet.
Nguyen Binh Minh– KET1

3. Last Tet was fun. I remember that my family went to pago-
das and we also took a picture. I didn‟t want to go because
the weather was hot but my mom said I had to. After that
we went to visit my cousins, aunts, uncles and friends. I was
really happy to receive a lot of lucky money but my mom
takes it all every year. I wanted to buy a new phone but I
can‟t. Even though my mom took my money, we were
happy to spend a lot of time together.
I got to have 10 days off from school. I was really happy so
I played computer games all day and my mom was mad.
Once, my mom said when we prepare for Tet, it is more fun
because people go out to buy stuff for Tet. They decorate
their houses and buy food and drinks or flowers or gifts for
everyone. Last year, my parents‟ friends came to my house
to have a party. They drank beer and got drunk.
In the evening, my dad always turns on Tet music for hours.
He turned it on really loud and I couldn‟t sleep at night. The
next morning I couldn‟t go anywhere because I was tired.
When I came to visit my aunts, uncles and cousins I was
happy to see them. But then I realized that I didn‟t remem-
ber their names so I only said hi. Then when we went home
my mom got angry and yelled at me because she said that
was very impolite. Then we both got mad and started losing
happiness for Tet.
For Tet this year I am looking forward to getting an iphone8
and I hope Mr. Chris will give me less homework.
Ngoc – Grade 8
Celebrating
Tết
My favourite Tet holiday was last year, because I went to Thai-
land with my family. We went by Vietnam Airlines from Da
Nang to Bangkok. In Bangkok we stayed in the tallest hotel in
the city. We visited the Siam shopping centre and we ate some
spicy Thai food, cake and drank soda. Next we went to 7/11 and
we bought many presents for our family in Vietnam.
Then we drove to Pattaya, it took 1 hour. We went to a resort
and slept because we were tired from the journey. The next day
we went to the Cartoon Network (CN) Water Park. Inside the
park there was a big wave pool machine. I went swimming in it
with my brother and the son of the water park manager. The
waves were very high and my brother and I were scared. We
rode a banana boat in the wave pool. We had to ride from one
side of the pool to the other side and if we did we won a prize.
Before we went home the manager‟s son gave my brother a pre-
sent of Cartoon Network toys, because he already had many. We
met my Mom outside. She was surprised when she saw us with
the toys and she said, “Why do you have them?” I said, “I won a
game with the manager‟s son and he gave me the toys”. The next
day we flew back to Vietnam, it was a very fun holiday and I
enjoyed it a lot.
Nhi - Grade 7

4. Tet is one of the biggest traditional holidays in Vietnam.
People in Vietnam usually clean and decorate their house before
New Year‟s eve. The foreign people usually call Tet “Lunar New
Year”. Tet traditionally comes from the Chinese people. During
Tet people usually light firecrackers or watch fireworks at night.
Tet is the holiday at which everyone in the family comes together.
In my family, this year we will be missing 2 people who
are my grandparents because they have gone to America already.
That is one of the bad things about this Tet holiday. But my mom
will come here and celebrate Tet holiday with my uncle and me.
Like other people, we always go to the flower markets to buy
flowers for our house including the most beautiful sun flowers to
decorate our house. Before Tet my mom and I always go to the
supermarket and buy drinks and candy for the guests who will visit
our house.
My favorite thing about Tet is having a break from school.
During Tet holiday my most favorite part is gambling with my
brother, sister, aunt and my uncle. We usually play cards or “Bau,
Cua, Tom, Ca” during Tet holiday. Bau, Cua, Tom, Ca is a Viet-
namese traditional gambling game, where we put money on the
picture and then we shake the picture of the animal to win. We
also play cards games including Tien Len and Blackjack during
Tet holiday.
One of the most interesting things is making food for Tet
holiday. I really like Tet food like Banh Chung and Banh Tet
which are 2 kinds of Vietnamese traditional Tet holiday foods. I
think my grandmother is the person who makes the most delicious
Tet food I have ever tasted. But this year she will not stay here so
we are just buying stuff from the market to enjoy. Everyone in
Vietnam loves Tet holiday foods.
Kiet – Year 8
Tet is the most important holiday in Vietnam. Tet is a tradi-
tional holiday where people celebrate Lunar New Years. Stu-
dents go and visit their teachers, kids get lucky money and
people visit their family and friends. There is a lot of gambling
and I like to gamble with my friends. Some of the Vietnamese
traditional music is a bit annoying but interesting. Every year, I
visit my grandparents in Quang Tri. I gamble a lot there too.
The thing I hate the most about Tet is that my mom makes me
dress in a fancy suit which is uncomfortable.
One of my favorite parts about Tet is going to the flower mar-
ket. I like shopping for flowers, it‟s a lot of fun. I‟m looking
forward to the break from school. My dad said my family and I
might go to Cambodia or Nha Trang. I hope this year I can go
to Mr. Chris‟s house to have a party. We have a party at our
school every year. The costumes that we have to wear are
surely embarrassing but the party is a lot of fun.
This year, I think I‟m going to travel somewhere else besides
Quang Tri. I‟m sure I‟m going to have fun this year wherever I
go. Every year, my mom and some of the teachers make sticky
rice cake. I‟m very excited to decorate my house with Tet
decorations. I hope I can get a lot of lucky money and that I get
to go and visit Mr. Chris.
Tyler – Year 7
Celebrating
Tết

5. I am looking forward to Tết this year because I think it
is going to be awesome. The school is going to have a
party and I think there is going to be a lot of games such
as tug-o-war and cookie on the string. This year I hope I
get a lot of lucky money because I want to play this
game called bầu cua. I like playing that game because
sometimes you win and sometimes you don’t. Bầu cua
involves dice and you bet on which animal you think
you will win. I am also looking forward to vacation
because we might go to Bana Hills this holiday and I
think it would be fun.
I remember during Tết last year and we had a lot of fun.
I also remember that some of my friends from Đà Nảng
stayed over. We played bầu cua and Nerf war until mid-
night. It was fun. I hope they will come this year be-
cause this year we have more guns and better guns for
Nerf war.
I think Tết is a nice holiday because you can get free
money and go on a vacation like I am this year. I think
Bana Hills will be nice. But I hope I get a lot of lucky
money. I like to decorate trees and visit my friends in
Đà Nảng because I heard there is Asia Park and Vincom
Center. I think it is going to be fun there because I heard
there is a roller coaster and other fun stuff there.
Shawnee - Grade 5
Celebrating
Tết
I am looking forward to Tết because I can get lì sì which is
lucky money, and play nhảy sập, which is dancing with bam-
boo poles. I can play games like bầu cua. This is how you play
it: first you put money on a platform, then you roll 3 dice. If
you get the right picture you can get the money. I am also look-
ing forward to the lion dance which I can see on the streets. I
can visit my aunt, cousins, and family so that we can play cards
with them. I can eat all kinds of candies like milk candies,
chocolate and more. I can go to eat at a restaurant and eat pizza
and tacos.
I think I will go back to Qủang Trị to meet other people in my
family. I still remember when I went to Quảng Trị and played
with my family but my great great grandfather died a day after I
came. It was sad but I still enjoyed the vacation. At least I still
have my great great grandmother who is 96 years old, and I still
remember that I played with my two aunts. I showed them how
to play BTD 5, and it was fun playing with them.
Tết is about a New Year‟s celebration. You get lucky money
and they give you that because they want you to have a suc-
cessful year. Yellow flowers are cultural to Tết because yellow
in Vietnamese is vàng and vàng is gold. You can do lots of
things in Tết and my favorite game is nhảy sập. Tết is one of
my favorite holidays.
I hope I will have a successful year.
BJ - Grade 5

6. My first memory about Tet is from about two years
ago. I went to my brother‟s school and celebrated Tet holi-
day. That was when my brother still studied at Phoenix
School. When I was there, I made chung cake with my
brother and his friends. It was difficult to make but it was
fun because I learned how to make chung cake. Then a TV
reporter came and asked my brother some questions. When
the reporter left, my brother‟s art teacher changed clothes
and became „Ong Do‟. He wrote some traditional words and
drew some traditional pictures. After that, the students made
a Tet celebration which was fun and colorful.
My other memory is from last year. I celebrated Tet
at my old school and I acted like a crazy guy because I was
really excited. The Tet show was great. When the party fin-
ished my mom took me to the flower market and ordered
some flowers. Then she took me to the Tet fair to watch
what happened there and to watch people making some
models using clay. The next day, my dad took my family
and me to visit my great grandparents‟ grave. Then in the
afternoon, my father took my family and me to Nha Trang.
My mom didn‟t like Nha Trang really much because there
were so many Russian and Chinese people but she liked the
view of the beaches in Nha Trang and Vinpearl Land.
This Tet holiday, I will visit my relatives‟ houses
and graves. Then I will travel with my family and I will go
to the pagoda.
Bill – Grade 8
Celebrating
Tết
The first time I heard about Tet I was in Vietnam. There
are special foods like candy, and ham (the Vietnamese
kind). I remember that my mom did celebrated Tet in
America, because I remember the lucky money. The best
part of Tet is that I don‟t have to learn at all, even at
home, a whole 16 days of freedom. Tet in America is a
mix of pictures and blurs for me because I don‟t remem-
ber it well.
This year I can‟t wait FOR THE MONEY, but I am
more excited that my uncle from America is coming to
visit me here in Vietnam. I don‟t know what I‟m going
to do. I will like the school‟s Tet celebration because
there will be games, food, and fun! One thing I know is
that I am going to go to many different places. This year
I think Tet will give me a lot of luck.
Tet is the Vietnamese New Year which means festival.
Vietnam now uses the Gregorian calendar to know when
Tet starts. Tet starts in the beginning of the new year of
the Gregorian calendar. Elderly people give children
lucky money. I really can‟t wait for Tet.
Austin - Grade 5

7. Grade Four
Tết Diary
During Tet I went to a garden with my uncle and
my brother. I went to the hoes of all the members
of our family with my mom and dad. I went to my
dad‟s friends houses and to my mom‟s friends. I
got a lot of lucky money. I got eleven million in
total. During Tet I ate ginger snaps, candies,
cookies and a lot of rice cakes. I dressed in an ao
dai and played Tet festival games with my
neighbors and friends. I went to Quoc Hoc School
to watch a performance. My house had an apricot
blossom tree in flower. Tet is a fun time. I like
Tet because Tet makes everyone happy and I had
a lot of fun.
Phuong Thao
In Tet I went to the homes of my mom‟s friends and
my dad‟s friends and I got a lot of lucky money. I got
seven million. I ate ginger snaps, candy and cookies.
My family dressed in ao dais and played Tet games
with my mom‟s friend. In my house we had sunflow-
ers and blossom trees. I liked the blossom flowers
very much. I liked Tet because it makes everyone
happy and I had a lot of fun during Tet.
Hoang Quan
In Tet I ate Tet food and got lucky money, 208000
dong.I went to Big C with my brother and to sisters
and playd in the ball house with my brother. After I
drew a picture of Tet and played with a dog. I rode my
bicycle and I went to th Dai Binh Hotel. I played on
the ihone. I played “Tom Run” and “Barbie Doll”. I
watched “Annabelle on TV and I went to a Britis shop
to get new shoes. I liked the Tet holiday.
Cam Tu
Hoang Quan, Cam Tu and Phuong Thao with Ms Giau
and Mr David at the Tet Fun Day

8. Tet is the festival we like most. Tet
is the occasion that people often
send each other good wishes for a
happy and healthy new year. We
had a great time at the Tet Fun Day
at Phoenix School. We wore tradi-
tional clothes, played folk games
and ate some traditional food. We
will try our best to be more obedient
and study better. Happy new year!

9. We were all ea-
ger to take part in
the Tet Festival at
our school. This is
the special festival
where we have the
opportunities to play
folk games which
are less popular
nowadays. We had a
great time at the fes-
tival.
We wish you all a
very happy, healthy
and prosperous new
year in the year of
the rooster.
Happy new year!

10. G
R
A
D
E
O
N
E
Tet is the most important traditional festival in Viet Nam. Tet is
not only for people to relax but also to come back home with
their family. We had a great time taking part in The Tet Fun Day
at our school. We decorated our class with peach and apricot
blossoms. Moreover, we also participated in some folk games
as well as learned how to make the traditional cake – banh
chung. We wish Phoenix School a very happy and healthy new
year in the year of the rooster. Happy new year!

11. TET 2016
BEST WISHES TO EVRYONE
PREP CLASS
We joined
in Tet
activities
We had a very good time together on that day. Our students
were so happy and we took so many photos.
We loved Tet at Phoenix School.

12. KINDER CLASS
Happy New Year. The stu-
dents had wonderful
memories at school. They
played a lot of traditional
games such as Capture
Flat, Tug, Beating Pots…
They could join in many
things that they had not
seen before. They were
very happy and excited.

13. In Vietnam, Tet is an
occasion for family re-
unions. Everybody
starts forgetting about
the troubles of the past
year and hope for a
better upcoming year.
Children really like
Tet; because, on these
days, they often wear
new clothes, visit their
relatives and receive
lots of lucky money as
well as best wishes.
The children are so
happy about that.Best wishes for the New Year:
- Good health and prosperity - An khang thịnh vượng
- A myriad of things go according to plans
- Vạn sự như ý
- Congratulations and be prosperous - Cung hỷ phát tài

14. NURSERY
LOVED
TET
HOLIDAY
IN 2017
We joined in
all theactivi-
ties at Tet Fun
Day. Each of
us were wear-
ing Ao Dais,
and we made
the square
cakes, cylin-
der cakes and
more.
We loved the
flower market
at Tet every
year. There
were so many
flowers: apri-
cot blossom,
peach blos-
som, daisy, or-
chids and
more.

15. All students of Pre-Nursery class prepare for Tet
Holiday at Phoenix School.