Stéphanie Do: From immigrant to first French female parliamentarian of Vietnamese origin
Báo Dân trí•26/08/2024
(Dan Tri) - Born into a family whose great-grandfather translated La Fontaine's fables into Vietnamese, Ms. Stéphanie Do went to France at the age of 11 and became the first French woman of Vietnamese origin to be elected as a member of parliament.
General Secretary and President To Lam with outstanding overseas Vietnamese attending the 4th Conference of Overseas Vietnamese around the world and the Forum of Overseas Vietnamese Intellectuals and Experts, afternoon of August 23 (Photo: VPCTN)
On the occasion of returning to Vietnam to attend the Conference of Overseas Vietnamese around the world and the Forum of Overseas Vietnamese Intellectuals and Experts (from August 21 to 24), Ms. Stéphanie Do - French parliamentarian for the 2017-2022 term, Director of TST Consulting; standing in the first row, second from left in the photo above - gave an exclusive interview to Dan Tri newspaper, sharing about her "journey to France". Ms. Stéphanie Do also said that she was honored to attend the meeting between General Secretary and President To Lam and the delegation of outstanding overseas Vietnamese on the afternoon of August 23, and was one of the 5 overseas Vietnamese invited to speak at this meeting.
Ms. Stéphanie Do talks with journalist Vo Van Thanh. Video: Pham Tien - Minh Quang
Hello Ms. Stephanie Do. France has just successfully organized the 2024 Paris Olympics. Can you share some of your feelings and thoughts about this Olympics? - Before returning to Vietnam this time, I watched the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics live and the impression and joy are still intact today. Paris is so beautiful on the global sports festival. I recall when I was a child, when my family was still in Vietnam, my father told me how poetic and romantic the capital of France was with famous architectural works. For decades, I thought I was familiar with Paris, but now I have discovered a new beauty of the city when many sports competitions are held outdoors with the Eiffel Tower in the background, the architectural works that have made the reputation of the city of light. We are also very happy that this year the French athletes achieved good results, ranking 5th on the overall rankings. The French "swimmer" Leon Marchand won a total of 4 individual medals, including 3 gold medals. As you shared above, when you were young, your family was in Vietnam, so how did your story of France begin? - I followed my parents to France when I was 11 years old. My family has a tradition of teaching, my great-grandfather used to teach at a famous high school in Saigon, now Le Quy Don High School (HCMC). Besides being a teacher, he was also a famous writer and translator. Since 1907, he has composed a concise and easy-to-understand version of 50 La Fontaine fables in French and Vietnamese. He also participated in the working group to improve the national language at that time. Today, next to Ben Thanh Market (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), there is still a street named after my great-grandfather: Do Quang Dau. My father was also a professor of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry at high school. We came to France in 1991 thanks to the family reunification program. At that time, we had a stable life in Ho Chi Minh City, but my parents still decided to bring their 4 young children to France for the sake of their future education. This was a strong decision for my father because he would have to leave everything behind and build a new life in very difficult circumstances. My father was fluent in French, but my mother and my siblings were not. My father's degree could not be used in France, so he had to leave the university to accept hard work. Perhaps the difficulties and challenges from a young age, when I first came to France, trained me to be resilient, always trying my best within my ability. No matter the circumstances, I am always aware of the Vietnamese blood flowing in my veins and I must constantly strive to be worthy of that pride, to prove "I can do it" and reach achievements on the path I have chosen. Looking back at my family tradition, I have a difference from my great-grandfather and father, that is, I did not pursue a teaching career but followed the political path. But although our paths are different, we have one thing in common, which is the desire to contribute to the community, to help people and for the progress of society. When I went to France at the age of 11, not knowing French yet, how did you continue your studies to be able to achieve success later? - When I was in Vietnam, I was an innocent girl, life was peaceful and I did not have to think about anything. But then my parents went to France with nothing, a life of deprivation. From then on, I understood that I had no other choice but to rise up through studying, to have knowledge, to have a degree so that I could work, support myself and help my family. At first in France, I could not talk to anyone because I did not know French. I studied hard day and night, making up for my poor grades by doing well in math, biology, physics, geography, history, music and sports tests. Every night I struggled with French until 2-3am, patiently looking up each word in the dictionary to understand the lecture. I was determined to be able to answer the teacher's questions the next morning, otherwise I would be very embarrassed. My father never forced me to study well. But I set myself the goal of becoming an excellent student in all subjects, including French, and I tried very hard. Among equally intelligent students, the one who was more diligent, patient and resilient would achieve better results. After a year in the French extra class, I was admitted to the regular program from grade 7, and continued to study hard to become one of the top students in the class. I progressed and passed the classes in middle school and high school without any difficulty. When I got my high school diploma and was preparing to go to higher education, I actively participated in community activities and helped others. This was when I decided to work part-time on weekends, after school hours. Even though I had a scholarship, I still needed more money to cover my personal expenses. I found a job in a restaurant, and after a while became the head waiter there, thanks to which I was able to pay for my university expenses without asking my parents. I lived with my parents, but I didn't want to be a burden to them. This was also the period when I met Trung, who later became my husband. How did you and your husband meet? - We met on a charity trip together. Trung is also of Vietnamese origin, the same age as me but one grade above me. He was born in France, and at first he did not know how to speak Vietnamese, but after starting a family with me, he was able to understand and speak Vietnamese quite well. As second-generation immigrants to France, we have many things in common, especially our high independence, studying and working at the same time, helping each other. My successes today, in addition to my own efforts, are due to the help and sharing of my parents and Trung. Having come to France at the age of 11 and using French as the main language, I see that you still have not forgotten Vietnamese - your mother tongue? - It is a fact that many Vietnamese people who settle in France at a young age, after a few decades will more or less "forget" Vietnamese. But for me, Vietnamese is my origin. I cannot forget my origin. Vietnamese culture and language are in my blood. When my family was still in Vietnam, I was the youngest granddaughter in the family, so my grandmother loved me very much. I often watched TV series and Hong Kong martial arts movies with my grandmother. Through the content of the movies ( The Dragon Saber, The Return of the Condor Heroes , etc.) and through the dubbing, she taught me Vietnamese and other valuable lessons about human relations, culture, education, and the meaning of life. The habit of watching movies with my grandmother was maintained until my family moved to France. She still kept the habit of calling me to watch movies together, although not often and I was no longer as excited as when I was in Vietnam. Later, I actively listened to the news in Vietnamese to keep up with the situation in my homeland and also to practice Vietnamese. Now, I also teach and practice Vietnamese with my daughter like my grandmother did in the past. In addition to Hong Kong movies, I also watch Korean movies, through the dubbed or voiced versions in Vietnamese. As a French citizen of Vietnamese origin, what does the word Vietnam mean to you? - For me, the word Vietnam is in my blood and in my heart. Although I live in France, my parents, my brothers, my relatives and my husband are of Vietnamese origin, so it can be said that Vietnam is present in my daily life. I am grateful to my family all my life. Ms. Stéphanie Do is the first female representative of Asian origin elected to the French National Assembly (term 2017 - 2022). What an impressive and inspiring story. Why did you decide to participate in politics? - The Asian immigrant community that I belong to is rarely present in French politics. People often study to become engineers, doctors, and traders. For many people, politics is a complex world and can cause many concerns. For me, an immigrant of Vietnamese origin, becoming a member of parliament for 68 million French people is a story that seems impossible. I started my career in the private sector and have been promoted every year. When working at the international consulting group Mazars, I was appointed to a level 3 management position and would have become a senior manager if I had continued working at the Group. But I decided to enter the civil service, joining the Ministry of Economy, Finance, Industry and Digital, to work as a project manager. The reason for this decision is that I always love challenges. I cannot stay in my comfort zone but need to rub shoulders and face new challenges. Working at the Ministry of Economy and Finance helped me to get in touch with the political world and understand more about politics. This was the period when Emmanuel Macron had not yet been elected President of France and was a minister in the government. In 2016, he founded the En Marche (Forward) movement. In France, people talked a lot about Macron in his role as minister. When he left his position as minister and founded the above movement, I said to myself, "Let's see what he can do for France." So I attended a meeting chaired by Mr. Macron, and listened to him present his plan for France. I was immediately fascinated by this plan. What he presented was completely consistent with my personal thinking: Listen to each citizen, analyze the causes, and then propose solutions to the problems raised. My job - consulting - is to listen and propose solutions. If this is politics, I can do it. I signed up as a volunteer for the movement, and was chosen by Mr. Emmanuel Macron to be a consultant to monitor the Seine-et-Marne province. With my enthusiasm for France and the movement, I became very active, at first thinking of volunteering for only two hours a week, but then I was busy with this work every evening and weekend. When Mr. Emmanuel Macron was elected President of France in May 2017, the French parliamentary elections were approaching. To be honest, I did not think I would run for office. But activists encouraged me to run in my own department (Seine-et-Marnem, where I was a supervisory consultant for the En Marche movement). In solidarity with my colleagues, who had been with me for a year in the movement, I decided to run against two other female candidates. One was a former minister and the other was a lawyer. At that time, I was only 38 years old and almost a political unknown. I entered politics with humility, even a little fear. Because before me, no Asian woman had done the same. I was also not used to having my portrait enlarged and hung on the street with the campaign slogan. I did not think that I would win and that I would leave my job at the Ministry of Economy, Finance, Industry and Digital Affairs, although I was taking the campaign very seriously, but I was not nervous. I remember once meeting voters in a suburban neighborhood, it was May and the cherry trees were laden with berries. We stopped to pick the berries and tasted them right there, under the sun. Everyone laughed and joked happily. Finally, fate brought me to the National Assembly and a new life began. During your 5 years in the French National Assembly, what marks have you left as the first female parliamentarian of Asian origin? - The role of a parliamentarian is to control the activities of the government, draft laws, amend documents and vote to pass laws. During my term, I made nearly 400 proposals, more than 10 laws were passed (with the name of Stéphanie Do). Looking back, I worked like a warrior to carry out a huge amount of work, which I believe will contribute to the development of France. Of course, I also had to spend a lot of time convincing other parliamentarians to support me. I worked all week, almost without a day off. My schedule was 3 days in the National Assembly, 2 days in the locality and working on the weekend. When I went to the locality, I met voters, listened to the opinions of each person, including the homeless people I met on the street. Based on the opinions of the voters, I initiated activities to help the community and develop laws. In addition, I reported on the housing budget to the Economic Affairs Committee and conducted hearings with key figures in this field. During my term, I worked hard to promote reforms in vocational training and vocational training, which resulted in a decrease in unemployment every year. We also carried out activities to support businesses, promote the purchasing power of households, help citizens in difficult circumstances, the elderly, protect gender equality and women's development. Some of the areas I also paid attention to were climate change and youth issues. I also participated in the formation of the first text of the law on trust for political activities. This was truly a revolution. We voted to abolish the National Assembly reserve budget, which was a state subsidy that deputies could use at their discretion. Thanks to this law, every penny spent must now be accounted for, and it is prohibited to use it for personal or family purposes of the congressman. Joining the National Assembly, I have another joy and pride in being the President of the France - Vietnam Friendship Association, becoming an active bridge to develop relations between the two countries. During the period 2017 - 2022, when Vietnamese leaders visited France as well as French leaders visited Vietnam, I had the opportunity to participate in official programs many times, being present at the most important reception ceremonies. It can be said that this was the period when the France - Vietnam Friendship Association at the French National Assembly was very active with a series of working and exchange programs. The most important milestone was when the Covid pandemic broke out, I actively asked the French President to provide vaccines to Vietnam, and this request was realized with 600,000 doses of vaccine delivered to Vietnam at a time when vaccines were very precious and scarce globally. The task of a National Assembly deputy is certainly not easy. I have been threatened with my life because of my Asian background when I took up my position in the National Assembly. I especially cannot forget a period during the health crisis. At that time, I fought fiercely to make Covid vaccination mandatory, despite many objections. Perhaps all those who oppose vaccines have not experienced the challenges I have faced. I once took my mother to the emergency room in critical condition. I thought I would lose her and through that incident I became more convinced that the vaccine solution was the right one. What is the secret to winning over French voters as a woman of Asian origin? - I am always myself! Always trying to fulfill my responsibilities with the highest effort. When publishing my memoirs, I was honored to have President Emmanuel Macron write a preface, in which he wrote "Stéphanie Do has reached this position thanks to her tenacity, desire to succeed and dedication to others". "She seized every opportunity that France offered her and has repaid France a hundredfold". President Macron also wrote: "In the 5 years (2017 - 2022), she has never neglected her duties, always striving to strengthen our relationship with her homeland in her role as president of the France - Vietnam Friendship Association (at the French National Assembly) and also trying to protect French citizens in the fight against Covid in her role as a parliamentarian always present at the front line". I would like to borrow the comments of the French President to replace my answer. In your opinion, what are the areas that can promote cooperation between Vietnam and France in the coming time?- The two countries have a long-standing and sustainable relationship, the fields of economy, culture, education, science and technology... all have the potential to promote cooperation. The full implementation of the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the European Union will continue to facilitate trade and market access, protect intellectual property rights between the EU and Vietnam in general, and between France and Vietnam in particular. Personally, I would like to be a bridge between the two countries and do whatever I can. What are your plans for the future? - Currently, I continue to work at the Ministry of Economy, Finance, Industry and Digital; and at the same time, I participate in the consulting company TST Consulting, which is a consulting and support company in many different fields in France and Vietnam. I am and will continue to pursue my passion for politics, running for the National Assembly to implement ideas and activities for the benefit of the people and of France. There is still a lot of work ahead of me. Many young Vietnamese people today want to become global citizens and be successful like Ms. Stephanie Do. What advice do you have for them? - Be thirsty for knowledge and never stop learning. My family's circumstances have motivated me to always try. If I don't know French, I will try my best to learn and overcome it instead of choosing to drop out of school and go to work. From my own experience, I see that I have to persevere, not give up, and be determined to study well to help my family. I put a lot of pressure on my weak shoulders, and always told myself that there is no other path than the path of knowledge. Sincerely thank Ms. Stephanie Do!
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