Post Event Gratitude
Lời Cảm Ơn Sau Sự Kiện

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Tết Nguyên Đán - Lunar New Year, is the most important celebration in Vietnamese culture. It is not only a moment of seasonal change, but also a time when we return to family, to our roots, to gratitude, and to hopes for a peaceful and prosperous year ahead.

And among all the symbols of Tết, bánh chưng holds a very special place. The square cake represents the earth, fullness, and gratitude to nature and our ancestors. Yet the most beautiful part is not only the finished cake, but the process of making it - where generations sit side by side, wrapping, learning, sharing stories, and passing on cultural values in the most natural and heartfelt way.

HHAM is deeply grateful to bring this meaningful tradition to the community here in Melbourne. We are not only wrapping cakes for ourselves. We are wrapping connection - between generations, between Vietnamese people and international friends, and between those who are new to Australia and those who have called this place home for many years.

About HHAM

Helping Hand Alliance Melbourne (HHAM) is a not for profit community organisation built entirely on the spirit of volunteering. We often call HHAM a shared home of love, because it is made up of everyday people who believe in one simple truth: when love is shared with purpose, it can travel very far.

Over the years, HHAM has brought the community together to:

• Support children with serious illness
• Support disadvantaged children in Vietnam
• Support cancer patients in Australia
• Create safe, welcoming spaces for multicultural communities in Melbourne

To sustain this work, HHAM fundraises through warm and community-based initiatives, including:

• Becoming an HHAM member and donating $5 per month or $60 per year
• Ordering meals through Bếp Nhà HHAM, where 10 to 15% of revenue is contributed to the charity fund
• Donating áo dài, essential items, artworks
• Participating in community events such as Dance 4 HHAM, YOGA4HHAM, Walk4HHAM, Annual Mid-Autumn Festival, HHAM's Biggest Morning Tea, cultural workshops, HHAM's Sing & Dance Club, and charity art auctions

Everyone contributes in their own way, but we are united by one thing: together with HHAM, we share love and plant hope.

2026 Goals

As we step into 2026, HHAM has set clear goals:

• Continue supporting hundreds of children across four shelters in the North, Central, South and Central Highlands of Vietnam
• Sustain the "Cùng em đến trường" program, supporting seven children in Pleiku with monthly learning and living costs
• Continue our support alongside the National Children's Hospital in Vietnam and the Victoria Cancer Council
• Be ready to mobilise urgent relief when floods, disease outbreaks, or critical medical cases involving children arise

In the first months of the year, HHAM is already delivering:

• A fundraising initiative for 1,000 Tết bánh chưng to support children in Vietnam
• Tết gift giving for shelters
• Arts Auction
• Many community events throughout 2026

Gratitude

So this is more than a cake making workshop. It is a message that our community is still here, still keeping culture alive, and still opening our arms to welcome, to share, and to strengthen belonging.

On behalf of HHAM, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Victorian Government for funding and supporting today's program. I also thank the Multicultural Hub, our partners, volunteers, the wider community, and especially the HHAM leadership and organising team for giving your time, energy, and heart to make this event possible.

After the Bánh chưng making event, each has taken home not only a cultural experience, but also a little warmth of spring, a little more connection, and so much love.

I wish you all good health, happiness, and a peaceful New Year.