Hackney People
Vu Khanh
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Historically Hackney has been home to people from all corners of the world. But very few have had to endure such hardships on their journey here as the Vietnamese ‘boat people’, who fled the post-war Communist regime of the late 1970s and early 1980s. |
The story of 65-year-old Vu Khanh Thanh is a remarkable one. He speaks with emotion of his flight from Vietnam in 1979.
After four attempts, he escaped from his homeland, but had to leave his wife and three children behind – thankfully they were later all reunited.
“There were 41 of us crammed on a nine metre fishing boat with very little food and water,” he said.
The flimsy boat spent two weeks on the rough South China Sea, before being rescued by a passing British ship.
“One more day and we would not have survived,” Mr Vu added. This good fortune was to be a turning point in his life. Since the moment Mr Vu arrived in Britain some 29 years ago, he has dedicated much of his life to helping Vietnamese people settle and integrate. His work was recognised with an MBE awarded by the Queen in 2006.
A week after his arrival in Britain, Mr Vu began work for a Vietnamese refugee centre, supporting new arrivals from the Hong Kong camps during the peak years of the Vietnamese refugee crisis. “Most of these people escaping Vietnam spoke very little English and faced many difficulties integrating,” Mr Vu explained. Three years later when the centre closed, many Vietnamese refugees settled in Hackney and the surrounding boroughs.
“Hackney Council has always welcomed new communities. That’s why Hackney is one of the most diverse places in the country,” he added.
Mr Vu established An Viet Foundation in 1986, and one of his proudest achievements is being awarded a £250,000 Government grant to convert an old building in Englefield Road into a community centre. He describes this as an ‘historic moment’.
The foundation provides support to the Vietnamese community, including English classes, business support and welfare advice.
An Viet House is also home to well-known canteen Huong Viet, which has acquired a reputation for offering good value, authentic cuisine.
Today Hackney is home to more than 4,000 Vietnamese people, many running successful businesses, from restaurants and factories to off licences and the nail parlours that are emerging on every corner. Mr Vu puts this success down to the ‘hard work, self dependency and enterprising culture’ of the Vietnamese people.
In 2002, he became the first Vietnamese councillor in Britain, and represented Dalston for four years. He got involved in politics to ‘make a difference’, and wanted to see real improvements in Hackney.
He said: “There were a lot of people committed to improving the borough and I was one of them. Hackney does have problems, but there have been real improvements, with better housing, cleaner streets, and there is a good feel factor with the 2012 Olympic Games.”
His dream is to set up a ‘Vietnam Village’ in London, comparable to the West End’s Chinatown. Proposals are being developed and Mr Vu hopes his vision can become a reality after 2012.
More information
Contact the Foundation on: 020 7275 7780, or visit: www.anvietuk.org.
Page updated: 15 Jun 2010
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