[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 7 (Monday, February 19, 1996)]
[Page 309]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Message on the Observance of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year

February 8, 1996

    Warm greetings to everyone observing the Vietnamese Lunar New Year 
as you welcome the Year of the Rat.
    This ancient annual festival unites people of Vietnamese heritage 
across America and around the globe in an exuberant celebration of hope 
and new beginnings. Family and friends gather to renew the bonds of love 
and to rejoice in the rich cultural traditions of Vietnam. The joys of 
the coming year are anticipated with a flurry of fireworks, flowers, 
decorations, and feasting.
    Tet is a fitting occasion for us to reflect on the many gifts that 
Vietnamese Americans have brought to our national life--among them a 
reverence for family, an unquenchable optimism, and an unwavering 
determination to make tomorrow better than today. Let us rejoice 
together in this season of renewal and resolve to work for a future of 
harmony and prosperity for us all.
    Best wishes for a new year of happiness, health, freedom, and peace.
                                                  Bill Clinton

Note: This message was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
February 16.