Nowadays, the number of immigrants to Malaysia is increasing and the lives of Vietnamese brides have improved a lot. Many women have had the opportunity to choose jobs that suit their abilities and interests, and many have had successful breakthroughs.
Respect cultural traditions
Talking about the opportunity to choose Malaysia as her second home, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Mai, originally from Hanoi, shared that they met each other while traveling in Cambodia in 2010. Falling in love with Ms. Mai, he decided to express his true feelings. In 2012, Ms. Mai followed her husband to Malaysia and built a family. Interestingly, although he is a foreigner and follows a different religion, Mr. Saif Al din always loves Vietnam and respects the cultural traditions of his wife's country.
When she first arrived in Malaysia, it took her a few months to get used to the local food and customs, but now everything has become familiar. Married to a Vietnamese woman, her husband also loves Vietnamese food. Mai has loved cooking since she was a child, so she always takes the opportunity to show off her cooking skills to her family. With her skillful cooking skills, in 2014, Mai opened From Mai Home - a "kitchen" right at home in Kuala Lumpur specializing in serving Muslim-friendly Vietnamese dishes. Because she is busy with her daily work, From Mai Home is only open on weekends, but attracts many diners. Each meal has many dishes from appetizers to main courses, each dish in small quantities, so that diners have a comprehensive view of Vietnamese cuisine. Avoiding pork, Mai's dishes are all prepared from beef, chicken or seafood, with strong seasoning and aromas similar to Malaysian tastes. From Mai Home is also introduced on Malaysian culinary sites and receives positive reviews.
Ms. Mai said: “From Mai Home has also helped me expand my social network in Malaysia and make many new friends”. Through cuisine, she has maintained her connection with her homeland, while helping people understand the country and culture of Vietnam. Therefore, not only selling food, she also spends time chatting with customers to introduce each dish, its origin, ingredients, and meaning. Her dishes such as Bun Bo Hue, Banh Xeo... have all won the hearts of Malaysian diners at first sight. To make Vietnamese food more popular in Malaysia, she also opened weekly cooking classes for those who love Vietnamese food. Many Malaysian women have come to this cooking class, made Vietnamese dishes themselves and cooked them for their families. Vietnamese food has since appeared in many local kitchens.
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, in 2020, Ms. Mai decided to change her business direction and return to her favorite job of doing logistics. With her experience in Vietnam and after a period of learning about fruits such as lychees and avocados, she boldly imported her hometown fruits to the neighboring country. At first, she encountered many difficulties due to incomplete preservation, but later everything became favorable.
Being able to return to her favorite job and return to her homeland more often is also the motivation that helps her stick with logistics more. She shared: “Vietnamese fruits are very delicious, but when exported to other countries, they are often very expensive. The most convenient thing is that Malaysia and Vietnam are quite close to each other, so transportation costs are also lower than in other countries. Bringing Vietnamese agricultural products to Malaysia is a way to support Vietnamese agriculture, as well as introduce more widely the specialties of my homeland.”
Despite her busy business and family life, Ms. Mai is still enthusiastic about participating in community movements and activities. According to Ms. Mai, the connection between the Vietnamese community in Malaysia is very strong. In Malaysia, there are many Vietnamese groups, connecting a large number of Vietnamese brides, Vietnamese workers in Malaysia and Vietnamese students studying abroad. Especially after the Malaysia - Vietnam Friendship Association (MVFA) was established in 2023 under the decision of the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs, the Vietnamese people have a strong common home.
All beginnings are hard
Among the Vietnamese communities abroad, the community in Japan is considered to be growing and contributing to the country. Vietnamese women in Japan are gradually asserting their position in the family and society. They overcome the confusion, language barriers, culture, and customs, and always try to assert themselves when becoming a daughter-in-law in a foreign land.
Having married Murakami Kazuyuki in 2017, Ms. Bui Thi Ngoc Thuy, 38 years old, from Long Khanh, Dong Nai province, never thought that she would start managing a large farm, and together with her husband, build a billion-dollar vegetable garden for her family in Iwanuma, Miyagi province. Without hiring outside workers, the daughter-in-law and family members personally selected each seed, tilled the soil and harvested.
She shared: “Right at the time Thuy moved to Japan, her husband's only two employees had just quit their jobs. I was worried and felt sorry for my husband because he had to take care of the whole farm by himself. Seeing his elderly mother-in-law harvesting and packing each bunch of vegetables in the bitterly cold winter, Thuy could not help but join in to help. Luckily, Thuy was originally a businesswoman in Vietnam, so this was her luggage when she started her agricultural business with her husband. With her husband's love, support and companionship in all work, Thuy was able to overcome all the difficulties at first due to language barriers, cultural differences, and customs.”
Four years ago, she launched the YouTube channel Thuy TV, with the main setting being footage of her family's agricultural production activities on a large-scale field of 50 hectares. The interwoven footage of daily life such as daily meals and daily activities of family members has become the attraction for nearly 11,000 subscribers to the channel.
Talking about Thuy TV, she said: “First of all, Thuy TV's films are for memories and also for family members in Vietnam to see Thuy's life and work abroad and feel secure. Up to now, Thuy is loved by many Vietnamese expatriates in many countries because she has shown them her efforts, her strong vitality, her adaptability to all living conditions, and her motivation to try every time she encounters difficulties and hardships.” Most of the vegetables that Thuy grows in Japan are quite similar to those in Vietnam, for example radishes, cabbage, eggplants, and tomatoes.
The MIA website of the Miyagi Internationalization Association recognized her efforts in farming and taking care of her family. Through this, Ms. Thuy has contributed to spreading the beautiful image of a Vietnamese woman passionate about agricultural production in Japan. A local newspaper called Kahoku Shinpo, which targets children, also reported on Ms. Thuy's work and life.
Ms. Thuy modestly expressed her constant efforts towards a brighter, more meaningful future. Regarding future plans, Ms. Thuy said that although the farm work is developing, she is always worried that there will come a time when she will not be able to handle this work that requires a lot of health and perseverance. Therefore, she and her husband are still investing in new industries to find new business opportunities. The most important thing for her now and in the future is still taking care of and raising her 5-year-old son Yamato, and developing her career with the strong support of Mr. Murakami.
THANH HANG
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/nhung-su-gia-noi-tinh-huu-nghi-que-huong-thu-hai-post741875.html
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