VIETNAMESE communities throughout England gathered in Burgess Park, south east London, on Sunday to celebrate more than 25 years settlement in the UK.
The event, organised by the UK Vietnamese Network, was the first time since 1991 that the Vietnamese community had come together on such a large scale to enjoy an array of festivities that included live music, family entertainment and Vietnamese food, arts and crafts.
Among the 3,000 visitors who attended the free summer fair, many were 'boat people' who had fled Vietnam in large numbers in the late 70's.
Ethnic Chinese Dong Liet La, 75, and his wife Thi Thu, 71, arrived in England in 1981 after living in a Hong Kong refugee camp for 18 months.
“Life was very difficult when we first came here because we could not speak the language and felt very isolated,” said Mr La. “But today things are much better and it is good to see how the Vietnamese community has grown.”
Carlos Guzman, 48, and four-year-old son Kevin, from Southwark, were among the many non-Vietnamese people who came along to see the live entertainment and soak up the festive atmosphere.
“It is great that the Vietnamese have put on such a wonderful show not only for their community but also making us feel so welcome,” said Mr Guzman.
The live performances were equally diverse, with acts such as Thien Minh, a Buddhist Family dance group from France, ethnic Chinese singer Diem Lac and Laos community performers (pictured) providing some of the day's biggest attractions.
Chau Nguyen, NSPCC Chinese and Vietnamese link officer and volunteer for the Vietnamese Network, said she was thrilled to see so many children and second generation Vietnamese at the fair.
“As a volunteer, we encourage the younger generation to become more active within the community and I hope that those here today will come forward and contact their local Vietnamese group or network to offer their time, ideas or just be part of the wider society.
“You can be both Vietnamese and a good British citizen by sharing your culture and promoting mutual understanding,” she added.
Entries (RSS)
July 24th, 2007 at 7:57 am
Thank you Clara for covering this event. It bring back a lot of memories of my student days. I remember collecting clothes and furniture and donated them to the newly arrived "boat people" when some of the Vietnamese arrived in London. I also helped to translate for them because I spoke Mandarin and Cantonese. They were on the front page of the local news at the time. It was really sad to see so many of them fled what was once a very affluent country. I am glad that all the communist blocs have more or less drop the doctrine, and people in Vietnam, Russia and China etc are now enjoying great degree of prosperities and freedom. It is sad to see the US still meddling in other countries business by force in Iraq and haven't really learn their lessons.
July 26th, 2007 at 10:32 am
I know many Chinese friend from Vietnam, but none of them have heard of this event. Can you tell me how they can find out more about their future activities? I am just curious, are the event for Vietnamese or anyone who used to live in Vietnam? Do Vietnamese feel a strong sense of seperate identity to the Vietnamese Chinese? Do the Northeners and the Southerners still have deep divide in London?
July 26th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Look fun. shame we didn't know about it beforehand. Thanks for the article.