Your Vietnam

The story of a unique Vietnamese ‘mother’ in Japan

Published

9 months ago

July 4, 2022

There is a special Vietnamese woman in Japan. She has worked for a company for 16 years, where she is affectionately and respectfully called ‘mother’ not only by younger Vietnamese colleagues and students but also by her Japanese colleagues.

At nearly 70 years old, the woman, whose name is Le Thi Minh Nguyet, is probably the oldest Vietnamese woman still working full-time in Japan.

In fact, her age makes her as old as the grandmothers of the Vietnamese interns studying and working in the East Asian country.

She is not called a mother because of her age, but because of her responsibility and commitment in her role as an interpreter and trainer at the Kantojoho Sangyo Kyodo Kumiai, also known as Kantojoho, union, which specializes in training and placing technical trainees for Japanese companies.

Motherhood abroad

One Sunday, Nguyet’s only day off of the week, she spent the entire day leading some technical trainees to their third vaccination against COVID-19.

Although she is not responsible for it, she always makes it her priority.

Nguyet has become accustomed to taking care of Vietnamese interns over the past 20 years.

Since the maximum length of stay for each intern is three years, she is familiar with many new Vietnamese interns experiencing culture shock in the first few days after arriving in Japan.

“I consider them as my children,” Nguyet said.

She also treats them very seriously as she loves them so much.

The woman can use her own money to help some disadvantaged technical trainees, while never ignoring or compromising with anyone who violates local government and company rules.

Nguyet cannot forget the times when she helped some female trainees get abortions, which is a difficult time for any woman.

“Some of them hugged me at the time and said, ‘How compassionate you are, you resemble my grandmother,'” Nguyet recalled.

“I understand that they might be too ashamed to ask for help in such situations.”

Over the years, the experienced instructor has come across so many memorable stories about young Vietnamese trainees.

She was particularly impressed by the life story of Hanh, a young male trainee from the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long.

Nguyet learned from Hanh’s roommates that he ate only eggs every day for meals.

She thought this was strange and wanted to know the reason.

After talking to Hanh, she knew that he came from an extremely poor family in Vinh Long.

He wanted to save as much money as possible while working in Japan so that he could build a house for his parents when he returned to his hometown a few years later.

Eggs are cheaper in Japan than in Vietnam and have fetched a fixed price for years.

Nguyet remembers well the day Hanh came to say goodbye to her before returning to Vietnam after completing his internship.

He told her about his plan to use some of his savings to open a business renting equipment out for wedding events.

“Now he’s settled down,” the friendly woman laughed cheerfully.

The years she has spent working in Japan have been made even more meaningful by such happy moments.

Minh Nguyet (second from right) in a photo with Vietnamese female trainees who worked in electronics assembly in Japan in 2007 in a photo provided.

Le Thi Minh Nguyet (R, 2nd) sits in a provided photo with Vietnamese trainees who worked in electronics assembly in Japan in 2007.

A special connection to Japan

Nguyet is a former student of the first class of Japanese interpreter training at Hanoi Foreign Trade College in 1972-77 and has worked for Japanese companies since her graduation.

After having worked in Vietnam for more than a decade, she went to Japan when her daughter decided to study there.

She accompanied her daughter to Japan primarily for her personal needs, but deep down she also wanted to do something useful to help her compatriots.

Nguyet then joined Kantojoho, which is the leader among 3,535 unions in Japan in terms of the number of Vietnamese trainees working under its leadership.

The Kantojoho Sangyo Kyodo Kumiai has more than 30 years of experience in recruiting and managing Vietnamese technical trainees in Japan.

What sets the union apart is that it focuses exclusively on working with the Vietnamese labor market, particularly the southern provinces and cities, which account for 90-95 percent of the trainees it recruits.

It is not easy to say in detail what kind of work Nguyet has done for the Kantojoho Sangyo Kyodo Kumiai.

She is involved in almost everything related to Vietnamese trainees, even some activities that sometimes do not fall within her scope of duties.

In tragic cases where the union has to cope with the death of a trainee due to an illness or accident, ‘mother’ Nguyet is even asked to handle the challenging situation with the relatives of the deceased.

She took such responsibility twice and tried to help the family members of the deceased trainees out of her kindness and compassion to overcome the tragedy.

Help for more than 1,000 Vietnamese workers

Nguyet has been living in a small room in Tochigi Prefecture as a permanent employee of the Kantojoho Sangyo Kyodo Kumiai Union for more than 16 years.

She rides her bicycle every day to visit the Vietnamese trainees who live and work in the neighborhood.

She has mentored more than 1,000 young Vietnamese, and counting.

There are about 450,000 Vietnamese interns throughout Japan, including 1,600 in Kantojoho.

She works with an average of 400 trainees per year.

“I would not stop while the union still needs me,” said the 69-year-old trainer, showing her pride in making a small contribution to the education of young people in Japan and Vietnam.

According to Le Tran Hung, one of Nguyet’s younger colleagues at the Kantojoho Sangyo Kyodo Kumiai, openness is her strength, but also her weakness.

“She always tries to approach problems in the right way, but she never compromises on the wrong thing,” Hung said.

Nguyet has made an important contribution to Vietnam-Japan friendship through her unsung work and dedication, he added.

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Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/features/20220704/the-story-of-a-unique-vietnamese-mother-in-japan/67820.html

Related Topics:japanese trainees technical trainees Vietnamese

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Your Vietnam

Renowned Vietnamese artists collaborate on unique porcelain artworks

Published

2 days ago

March 24, 2023

TienphongNews

The ‘Hoa Trên Hoa Kết Tinh’ (Flowers On Crystallised Flowers) exhibition features 13 crystallised porcelain artworks. Photos courtesy of the centre of Vietnam Quintessential Handicraft

HÀ NỘI An exhibition featuring unique porcelain artworks resulting from the first-ever collaboration between two Vietnamese artisans will be on display at CHỌN de l’Art, located in the centre of Vietnam Quintessential Handicraft at 28 Bát Tràng Street, Gia Lâm District, Hà Nội, from March 25 to 28.

Titled Hoa Trên Hoa Kết Tinh (Flowers on Crystallised Flowers), the exhibition will showcase 13 crystallised porcelain items created by Lê Ngọc Thạch, a famed artisan based in Bát Tràng, and painted by the internationally-acclaimed overseas Vietnamese artist Hồng Đức Thanh.

The much-anticipated event, jointly organised by CHỌN de l’Art and the centre of Vietnam Quintessential Handicraft, is expected to draw porcelain art enthusiasts from all over.

Thanh, also known as Hồng Mễ Xuyên, has garnered international acclaim for his pursuit of the art of porcelain painting, which the Lingnan school influences.

This is the first time that artist Hồng Đức Thanh paints on crystallised enamel on ceramics crafted in Bát Tràng Village.

The 65-year-old artist, now based in Norway, has won many prestigious awards at international exhibitions in the US, Spain, Brazil, Italy, Japan, and China.

Collaborating with mainland Chinese and Taiwanese artists, he has created paintings on thin, light porcelain products with an elegant shape and shiny enamel colours, which have stunned art enthusiasts. One of his notable artworks is performed on the world’s thinnest porcelain bowl in Taiwan, currently on display at the Shanghai Museum in China.

Thanh is also passionate in spreading the art form to the younger generation. He was invited to teach at Folkeuniversitetet, and then at other schools around the world such as Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Japan, and Italy.

He is currently running a class in his studio, Art Thanh Hong AS in Brumunddal, Norway.

Artisan Thạch is the 16th generation descendant of a family with a tradition of crafting pottery products in Bát Tràng Village, Gia Lâm District in Hà Nội. His passion for the craft has begun since a very young age.

After graduating from the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, Thạch has regularly come into contacts and collaborated with other renowned artisans and big brands, in addition to attending many famous ceramic fairs in the world.

His enriched knowledge, experiences, desire and chances to witness the development of world ceramic craft have inspired him to create artworks of with his own ambitions that inherit the values of the predecessors but also integrated with global elements.

The exhibition resulted from the first collaboration between Bát Tràng artisan Lê Ngọc Thạch (left) and Norway-based artist Hồng Đức Thanh.

After several meetings at Bát Tràng Village, which produces one of the most beautiful porcelain works in northern Việt Nam, they decided to have a joint exhibition at CHỌN de l’Art.

According to the organisers, the theme of the exhibition – Flowers on Crystallised Flowers – implies the crystallisation of two Vietnamese artistic souls travelling elsewhere and then gathering again right in the homeland.

This is the first time artist Thanh painted on crystallised enamel on porcelain crafted in Bát Tràng, which marks his beginning in conquering the material.

His vivid flower artworks, performed on blooming porcelain, have winged Thạch’s dreams,

“Crystallised enamel takes us on journeys to paintings,” he said.

“Through this exhibition, I hope to spread the values of the distinctive porcelain type of Bát Tràng and inspire the next artisan generation’s interest in the art form,” Thanh said. VNS

Source: http://ovietnam.vn/events/renowned-vietnamese-artists-collaborate-on-unique-porcelain-artworks_342621.html

Your Vietnam

Students in Đà Nẵng take part in Japan-Việt Nam cultural day

Published

3 days ago

March 23, 2023

TienphongNews

A dance team join the annual Japanese-Vietnamese Culture Exchange Day at Đà Nẵng City’s Đông Á University. More than 5,000 students participated in the event with different art performances and games. — Photo courtesy of Phương Chi

ĐÀ NẴNG — More than 5,000 students and visitors joined the annual Japanese-Vietnamese Culture Exchange Day in celebration of the 50th diplomatic ties of Japan and Việt Nam at the central city’s Đông Á University on March 9.

It’s one of a series of activities organised throughout the year in the city to mark the Japan-Việt Nam friendship and cultural cooperation.

Student groups staged traditional art performances of Việt Nam and Japan (Yasakoi dance and Taiko drum play) to the piano of the Japanese Keiko Borujeson, while fashion shows of áo dài (long dress), yukata and cosplay were displayed by Vietnamese and Japanese artists on the main stage.

Demonstrations of Japanese calligraphy, paintings, cuisine (Nagashi Somen–Japanese noodle at bamboo gut) at 12 pavilions and a folk dance competition drew participation from 38 teams.

Head of the Japanese General Consulate, Yakabe Yoshinori, said Đà Nẵng’s Đông Á University had early developed high-quality human resources for both technical knowledge and the Japanese language in the region.

He said internship programmes in Japan helped provide quality manpower for Japanese businesses.

A pavilion introduces Japanese and Vietnamese traditional culture at the Japan-Việt Nam Cultural Exchange Day in Đà Nẵng. The event marked the 50th diplomatic ties between Japan and Việt Nam in the city. Photo courtesy of Phương Chi

Yakabe Yoshinori also said the university introduced and promoted Japanese culture, building a trusting relationship with the Japanese General Consulate and the Japanese business community in Đà Nẵng.

During the Cultural Exchange Day, Japanese businesses successfully recruited 500 qualified students working in Japan, and five more partners from Japan inked agreements on human training with the university.

The Việt Nam-Japan Cultural and Sports Exchange Association (Favija) also presented a scholarship for a 10-day life experience tour in Japan for the winner of the Japanese language contest in 2022.

Đà Nẵng is seen as a favourite rendezvous of art troupes and artists from Sakai, Yokohama, Kawasaki, Kisarazu, Mimasaka, Nagasaki and Kushiro in Japan at the annual Việt Nam-Japan Culture Exchange since 2014. — VNS

Source: http://ovietnam.vn/events/students-in-da-nang-take-part-in-japan-viet-nam-cultural-day_342328.html

Your Vietnam

Couple offer free boarding house for poor students in central Vietnam

Published

3 days ago

March 23, 2023

TienphongNews

Tran Thi Hai and his husband, residing in Nui Thanh District, Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam, have used their own budget to build a boarding house and offer free shelter for underprivileged students.

The boarding house has become an address of love and nurtures the kindness and dreams of many poor students.

House of kindness

Only 10 minutes after school finishes, students ride their bicycles to return to the boarding house.

Despite being busy as a bee, both Hai and her husband try to observe students living in their boarding house and care about their studying.

“We are happy to see them going to school regularly and studying hard.

“Their families believe in us and say that their children have made progress.

“Money is not a matter to help them pursue their learning journey.”

The help to the disadvantaged and the community by the family of Hai is well known in Nui Thanh Town of the namesake district.

Local authorities and associations often visit and support the boarding house.

Hai decided to use her money to build the boarding house for poor students after she and her husband did charity in remote areas and saw the difficult life of residents there.

Meanwhile, her house is nestled in the center of Nui Thanh Town and near many large schools.

Nui Thanh District is large, so many students have to travel dozens of kilometers to reach their schools, while some have to rent rooms near their schools.

Hai said she had discussed with her husband the plan to use their savings to construct the boarding house.

In June last year, a six-room boarding house with sufficient living and studying facilities was built near Hai’s house.

Each room in the boarding house measures 20 square meters.

In the beginning, many people thought that the boarding house was built for rent and poor students could not afford the rooms.

However, when the boarding house was put into use, Hai hung a banner in front of it, stating that it is free for poor students and workers.

This surprised many local residents and teachers as each student had to pay VND500,000-1 million (US$21-43) per month to rent a room in Nui Thanh. Meanwhile, Hai’s boarding house, which is beautiful and clean and has enough facilities, is free of charge.

Students at the boarding house can keep their mind on studying without thinking of paying room rentals. Photo: P.N. / Tuoi Tre

Students at the boarding house can keep their mind on studying without thinking of paying room rent. Photo: P.N. / Tuoi Tre

Another way of giving

Hai and her husband have supported the community in many areas over the past many years.

They also bought an ambulance to carry patients in difficult circumstances to hospitals.

Hai said building the free-of-charge boarding house is also a way of giving. It is aimed at long-term purposes: nurturing poor students’ dreams and shortening their path to school.

More importantly, underprivileged students will see the support of others and give back when they mature.

According to Hai, all six rooms in her boarding house have been occupied by students of Nguyen Hue High School in Nui Thanh District.

The boarding house is fitted with cameras and Wi-Fi. Hai also bought new bicycles and put them in front of the boarding house so that students can use them to go to school.

Nguyen Tinh, from Tam Thanh Commune, Nui Thanh District, who is a student living in Hai’s boarding house, expressed his happiness to have safe and convenient accommodations.

Tinh’s family is poor. To go to school, he had to take a bus or travel to the school from the early morning.

After Hai’s boarding house was completed, she asked teachers to introduce students to her place.

Tinh came and received a room of which many rich students would be jealous.

Tinh said the room is spacious and comfortable, he welcomed two other disadvantaged students to the room. In the clean room, tables are put in corners, helping these poor students pursue their studying dreams.

At the end of the boarding house, Hai also prepared stoves and saucepans so that students can prepare their meals to save money.

“I’m grateful to Hai as she allows me to live [in her boarding house] at no charge and pursue my dream of going to school,” Tinh said.

“She not only helps me but also sets my parents’ mind at rest when I have a safe accommodation as this is the first time I have lived far from my family.”

Besides Tinh, the boarding house is now home to 18 other students. All of them were recommended by their teachers or acquaintances.

Hai gives priority to students who live far from school and face many difficulties in life but show great studying determination.

Chau Huyen Ha Tram, residing in Tam Tra Commune, Nui Thanh District, said her house is nearly 30 kilometers from her school. To reach the school on time, she had to wake up at 4:00 am and catch a bus.

Tram recalled that when coming to Nui Thanh Town for studying, she used to think of dropping out of school due to the far distance and high living costs.

“Living in the free boarding house, I’m truly happy. My mom does not have to worry about my room rentals anymore,” Tram said.

“In addition, Hai and her husband take care of us, encourage and remind us to study, which urges me and other students here to try harder.”

Cao Thi Anh Suong, a student from Tam Son Commune, Nui Thanh District, said she was excited when reaching the boarding house but she was also worried that the owners would later collect rentals from her. However, all rooms are free.

“We tell each other not to make noise and to keep order and go to school on time so as not to affect the boarding house owners and neighbors,” Suong said.