For over the last two decades, the Westminster Tet Parade has been an event to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Little Saigon.
This year was no different as the 2025 parade celebrated the Year of the Snake.
The Vietnamese New Year, or Tet, celebrates the first days of the lunar calendar and marks the beginning of spring in northern Vietnam. Tet is often considered a time for new beginnings, family reunions, and honoring ancestors.
For many, it’s a moment to connect with their culture.
Phan Ha appreciates the opportunity to celebrate Lunar New Year in the United States, having moved to Westminster, Calif. from Vietnam two years ago.
The colorful festivities, lucky money in red envelopes and watching lion dances, which are traditional practices for the Lunar New Year, give Ha a sense of comfort.
“It’s really like we don’t have to miss too much, because we actually can celebrate here in the United States,” said Ha.
Not only is the Tet Parade a celebration of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year holiday, it also holds significant meaning for the Vietnamese-American community as a way to remember the experiences of their ancestors during the Vietnam war.
As the 50-year anniversary since the fall of Saigon approaches in April 2025, Chuyen Van Nguyen, a Vietnamese reserve officer, expresses the significance of participating in the parade as a way to honor the sacrifices of those who fought for Vietnam’s freedom, democracy, and independence.
“After 50 years leaving our country, this is a good chance to remind people that we were the people who fought and died for the country,” said Chuyen Van Nguyen.
“We are what’s left from those 20 terrible years of war, and we wanted the people to know we are still here and hopefully they don’t forget those who have already died for freedom, democracy and independence for South Vietnam.”
The Westminster Tet Parade also showcases the vibrant Vietnamese-American community of Orange County centered in Little Saigon.
Xuan Bui, a Vietnamese-American whose son is in the parade as a part of the McGarvin Intermediate School, highlighted the importance of wearing her cultural attire and visiting temples to seek blessings and pay respects to ancestors.
“With my kids, we dress up in our ao dai, go to the temples, and we visit each temple as much as we can to get the blessings,” said Bui. “[We] light incense, pray to our ancestors, pay our respects, gather together, and give offerings, hoping to have a good year [and] good fortune.”
With hundreds attending every year, many from different parts of the county and beyond, the gathering is a community affair in the Vietnamese community, adds Nguyen.
“This is an opportunity for families and relatives scattered throughout the country, throughout the world, to gather together.”
