Study in the U.S.
Holidays Away from Home: Thanksgiving, Christmas and Vietnamese Tết in Texas
In your first year abroad, holidays are when homesickness peaks. Yet these are also the days when international students at Texas State University experience American culture most deeply — and discover how warm the Vietnamese community in Texas is.
Breaks during the academic year
| Break | When | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Labor Day | Early September | 1 day |
| Thanksgiving | Last week of November | 3–5 days |
| Winter break | Mid-December – mid-January | ~4 weeks |
| Spring break | Mid-March | 1 week |
| Summer | Mid-May – mid-August | ~3 months |
Thanksgiving — dinner with an American family
Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday of November) is America's biggest family holiday: turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie. Many American students invite international friends home; ISSS and churches around San Marcos also host free dinners for students who stay. Say yes — it's the cultural experience you'll remember most. The next day is Black Friday, the year's biggest sales, and the San Marcos outlets are packed.
Christmas and winter break — go home or stay?
- Go home: four weeks is long enough; flights are expensive this season (book by September). Make sure your I-20 has a valid travel signature and your visa is valid for re-entry.
- Stay: some residence halls close — register for break housing or stay in an apartment; domestic travel is cheap now (Houston, New Orleans, California). Many students go home for Tết instead of Christmas.
Tết in Texas
Tết usually falls in late January – early February, mid-semester, so going home is hard. In return, Texas has the second-largest Vietnamese community in the U.S.: Houston, San Antonio and Austin all hold Tết festivals with lion dances, flower markets and celebrations at Vietnamese temples and churches. The Vietnamese student group at TXST hosts a Tết party with bánh chưng, lucky money and group video calls home. Asian markets in Austin stock bánh chưng, candied fruit and apricot blossoms.
Tips for homesickness
- Schedule fixed video calls with family (12–13 hours apart: evening in Vietnam = morning in Texas).
- Accept American friends' holiday invitations — once, and you have an “American family”.
- Cook a dish from home on a holiday and invite your roommates.
- If it gets hard, TXST's Counseling Center offers free support — many international students use it.
Parents wanting to send Tết gifts? See information for parents or contact the Vietnam Office.
