Heima og að Heiman í 40 ár: Aðlögun þriggja kynslóða Víetnama á Íslandi

Project title: Home and Away in Forty Years: The integration of three Vietnamese generations in Iceland 

Project leader: Anh-Dao Katrín Tran                                                                     

Type of grant: Postdoctoral research        

HA40 explored the social, cultural, and educational acculturation process and changed across three generations of Vietnamese in Iceland over forty years. The project mapped their cultural and linguistic capital and the challenges faced in everyday life on their path to educational success or failure. It provides information on the integration perspective in practice over the past forty years. Their narrated stories were lived experiences that had complex layers of nuance and meaning that were captured and interpreted so that they could be learned from.

The Vietnamese refugees arrived in a society and education system that emphasised assimilation when it comes to education. Multicultural education and curricula that included all students' heritage languages and cultures during the last decades of the 20^th century were nearly non-existent. Thus, the Vietnamese refugees’ children were immersed in the Icelandic language and culture, which resulted in the absence of their parents’ language and culture in the lives of many and, in some cases, loss of heritage. The refugees’ descendants primarily identified themselves as Icelandic. They spoke little or no Vietnamese and had little knowledge of its traditions and culture. This loss, in turn, was deepened in the grandchildren's generation. This has resulted in the Vietnamese's regrets despite their life satisfaction. Some talked of regret about the loss and the wish to have a venue for the children to learn Vietnamese and reconnect with their heritage. Those descendants who were fortunate to have the opportunity to connect with family members abroad and get to know their heritage recognized their Vietnamese background with pride.

A short description of the project, its results and its impact

Home and Away in Forty Years: The integration of Three Vietnamese generations in Iceland (HA40) is a research using the interviewing method to capture the lived experiences of complex layers of nuance and meaning of the Vietnamese refugees who came to Iceland in 1979 and their descendants born in Iceland. The invaluable lived experiences are then interpreted so they can be learned from. Forty years is a long time. Half of the six participants have already retired from their jobs. Their life as refugees taught them the importance of self-respect, self-reliance, and resilience to rebuild a life away from their native land. These were characteristics they also tried to foster in their children. At the same, arriving in Iceland four decades ago had its disadvantages. Multiculturalism in Icelandic society and the educational system was close to non-existence. As a result, the Vietnamese refugees’ children were immersed in the Icelandic language and culture. They spoke little or no Vietnamese and had little knowledge of its traditions and culture. This loss, in turn, was deepened in the grandchildren's generation. The refugees’ descendants primarily identified themselves as Icelandic, but not without exception; some of their children recognized their Vietnamese background with pride.

The Vietnamese refugees’ assimilation process in Iceland demonstrates a clear example of assimilation when the descendants of the people who immigrated to the country lost both their heritage language and culture. The Loss of language and culture is an unsustainable sacrifice for the people who seek protection in a host country. Thus, it is defined as the rights protected by Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The study confirms the existence of the phenomenon for Icelandic educational and social institutions to keep in mind when the Icelandic language and culture were the focus at the cost of the language and culture of immigrants living in this land.

During almost four years of HA40 research, I have informally spoken with parents and held meetings with members of the Vietnamese community in Iceland. I discussed the research with them, and they sought my advice on raising their children bilingually.

Information on how the results will be applied

The result from the research clearly showed that the absence of Vietnamese language and culture in the lives of Vietnamese refugees’ descendants, both at home and in society, has resulted in their loss of heritage. The refugees expressed their regret, and some of their children, who are now parents, wished to have a venue where their children could learn Vietnamese and reconnect with their heritage in Iceland.

According to Statistics Iceland, the number of children in Icelandic preschools and compulsory schools who have Vietnamese as a heritage language has tripled during the last ten years, from 2012 to 2022. The increase was from 121 to 354. The loss of language and culture is an unsustainable sacrifice for those who arrive on the shores of Iceland. Thus, it is defined as the rights protected by Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The study confirms the existence of the phenomenon for Icelandic educational and social institutions to keep in mind when the Icelandic language and culture were the focus at the cost of the language and culture of immigrants living in this land.

These valuable experiences of the three Vietnamese generations in Iceland remind Icelandic society to continue developing a more welcoming and supportive multicultural and multilingual society.

In light of the results from the research, Anh-Dao wants to start a Vietnamese teaching program in Iceland for children of Vietnamese background. It would be a cooperation with Móðurmál-The Association of Bilingualism (https://www.modurmal.com) in Reykjavik and the Vietnamese Language Center in Budapest https://vietnamtimes.org.vn/vietnamese-language-centre-in-hungary-begins-new-school-year-65001.html).