"Nameless, unpaid" jobs
Many people think that Vietnamese women who marry Japanese men will have a comfortable, prosperous life, but few people know that some people are depressed because of their confined lives and lack of social interaction. Some people, despite their high qualifications in Vietnam, have to temporarily put their jobs on hold when they come to Japan.
In such circumstances, there is a great need for community workers to create a playground, connect and share. And Ms. Thuong has become a bridge to help and support Vietnamese women in Kansai in particular and Vietnamese people in Japan in general to reduce difficulties and relieve their psychological stress in a foreign land.
Ms. Le Thi Thuong (left) took a photo at the 94th anniversary rally of the Vietnam Women's Union and the launch of the Ao Dai library for Vietnamese people in Japan (Photo: NVCC).
While talking to reporters, Ms. Le Thi Thuong was providing psychological counseling to three Vietnamese women in Japan who were having difficulties in their marriages, some of whom were even beaten by their husbands.
Ms. Thuong said that she has been away from her homeland for more than 15 years, but on average, she returns to Vietnam once every month, mostly to participate in events connecting the Vietnamese community in Japan, promoting investment, cultural exchange and cooperation between the two countries, and especially supporting the Vietnamese women's community in Japan to have an environment to exchange, share and develop themselves.
Because she understands that those who are far from home, especially Vietnamese women in Japan, face many difficulties, especially language barriers, cultural differences, and living conditions.
The Mid-Autumn Festival event in Kansai, Japan attracted many Vietnamese families in Japan to attend (Photo: NVCC).
These days, she and Vietnamese associations in Kansai have prepared events to celebrate Vietnamese Women's Day (October 20), including a rally to celebrate the 94th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam Women's Union and the launch of an ao dai library for Vietnamese people in Japan, which took place on October 18, following an investment promotion event recently held in Hanoi.
The hidden side of Vietnamese women in Japan
Ms. Thuong shared: "Vietnamese women who marry Japanese men face many difficulties. Most of them, even though they are highly educated, when they come to Japan, if they are not good at the language, they can only do normal jobs or stay at home to take care of their husbands and children. Their lives revolve around the house, they rarely socialize or participate in community events, so many cases fall into depression."
When Ms. Thuong first came to Japan, she also encountered a big language barrier. Although she had worked in foreign affairs in Vietnam and had good English, she was not fluent in Japanese, so she still encountered many difficulties.
Ms. Le Thi Thuong took a photo with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang (left) at the launching ceremony of the Vietnamese Language Honor Day (Photo: NVCC).
Identifying language as an important key, she strives to learn Japanese well and learns and explores many different jobs. In particular, instead of being closed and confined to family life, she actively takes the lead in community work.
She became the President of the Association of Vietnamese People in the Kansai region of Japan since its establishment in 2008. The Association of Vietnamese People in the Kansai region of Japan is an organization representing Vietnamese people living and working in the Kansai region and neighboring regions, recognized by the Vietnamese Government.
Learning from her own experience, she focuses on opening Japanese language classes for Vietnamese women in Japan so that women with capital can soon confidently integrate with the local people and expand social relationships.
At the same time, she also organizes events such as traditional Tet and Mid-Autumn Festival so that Vietnamese women in Japan have the opportunity to dress up in beautiful clothes, share and connect with each other, reduce stress in family life, and especially preserve traditional culture for future generations living in Japan.
Most recently, she and the Vietnamese Women's Association of Kansai region, the Association for Liaison with Overseas Vietnamese, and the University of Foreign Languages - Vietnam National University, Hanoi, called on benefactors and sponsors to build the Cay Tre Vietnamese Language School.
The school attracts more than 100 students aged 5 to 14, divided into 6 classes. Of these, 30 students study directly at the Higashi Osaka City Cultural Center. 70 students from 20 provinces and cities across Japan study online.
The school has 2 permanent teachers, 6 volunteers and a team of advisors from Vietnamese language lecturers, Osaka University and the University of Languages and International Studies - Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
A class at Cay Tre Vietnamese Language School, whose principal is Ms. Le Thi Thuong (Photo: NVCC).
Sharing the reason for devoting her efforts to building this school, Ms. Le Thi Thuong said: "The 2nd and 3rd generation of Vietnamese people were born into multicultural Vietnamese-Japanese families with a blend of 2 cultures, 2 languages, 2 scripts... Being good at Vietnamese and absorbing Vietnamese culture helps them have more opportunities to promote their own values in the context of exchanges between the two countries of Vietnam and Japan developing in many aspects."
In each class, besides their children, mothers also have the opportunity to interact and exchange with each other to strengthen community ties.
On the contrary, the classes also create opportunities for Vietnamese female volunteers to demonstrate their expertise after a long time of taking care of their husbands and children in Japan, having to put their work aside.
At Cay Tre Vietnamese Language School, there is a volunteer who used to be a teacher in Vietnam but then went to Japan to get married and because she did not know Japanese, she had to do simple manual work. When invited to teach at Cay Tre Vietnamese Language School, the female volunteer spent about 1 hour/day in class.
At first, this female volunteer was also tired because her husband strongly opposed her and she had to take care of her own work and children. However, she still tried hard, arranged her time and was determined to pursue it. With this job, she was able to relive her previous teaching days and have more relationships with the families of Vietnamese students in Japan.
Once, this female volunteer had an accident on the road. While injured and unable to move, she was wondering what to do. Luckily, a parent of a student studying at a Vietnamese language school recognized her and helped take her to the hospital, took care of her, and asked her questions carefully.
"Moved to hear the voice of her beloved teacher again and to connect with more Vietnamese people, the girl loves her job even more even though it is voluntary and completely unpaid," Ms. Thuong shared.
Teach children to be strong and independent
As a woman, in addition to her own work and community work, Ms. Thuong is also busy with taking care of her family and children. Not to mention, in Japan, most women who marry Japanese men stay home to take care of their children.
But she has a different way of thinking from everyone else. Even though she is a wife and a mother, she still needs to live with her own passion. Participating in community activities also helps her relieve pressure, interact with the community, and satisfy her passion for participating in social work.
Ms. Thuong actively participates in charity activities to support Vietnamese people in difficulty due to the impact not only of Typhoon Yagi in Vietnam but also of the strong earthquake in Japan (Photo: NVCC).
With her children, she also wants them to learn the skills to take care of themselves, so she trains them to be independent from the beginning. Even when she doesn't participate in community activities, she still lets them take care of themselves while she just observes and guides them.
Many times, being busy with community events, Ms. Thuong cannot spend much time with her children. But she believes that in return, her children will receive more attention from their aunts and uncles in the community. And she believes that when her children see their mother on the podium speaking and follow her actions for the community, they will also be proud and follow her example.
With her husband, Ms. Thuong also does ideological work so that he understands her passion, desires and goals in her work.
"We only live once, but if we live right, once is enough" - Ms. Thuong said this is a saying that she really likes and uses it as a guideline to live a life that does not need to be luxurious but is full of love.
For her efforts, Chairwoman of the Vietnamese Association in Kansai, Le Thi Thuong, has received Certificates of Merit from the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese for Association work in 2019, 2022, 2024; Certificate of Merit from the Vietnamese Consulate in Osaka in 2024...
Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/nguoi-am-tham-ket-noi-phu-nu-viet-nam-tai-nhat-ban-192241019171428404.htm
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