On the footprints that have passed

Vietnamese citizens residing abroad always carry a sense of connection to their roots. In the photo: Traveling in Blue Mountain, New South Wales, Australia. Photo: MUC DONG

Young people's choice

Mai Trung works in construction cost estimation at Clad-Tech Inc. He came to Moncton, New Brinswick (Canada) to study, build his career, and become a citizen of this cold country. In the eyes of his friends, Mai Trung is a successful person and the envy of many.

In Moncton, sometimes as a reward after hard days at work, Trung and his wife choose to explore the land between the US and Mexico. They wander around Cancun, Isla Mujeres, and Florida.

In conversations with friends, when introducing new places, a sense of nostalgia for home is always present. For example, when talking about a tourist area in Mexico, Trung wrote, "A day at Xcaret Park is worthwhile; they have a show similar to Memories of Hoi An but in a Mexican style, quite beautiful. When going to the next island, Iska Mujeres, it's like a miniature Hoi An. It's as lively as a festival."

At 30, Trung has no room for sentimentality. He's enthusiastically enjoying the Lunar New Year holidays with his family. He's cutting short time to hang out with friends so he can join his parents in visiting his grandparents' graves, lighting incense at the family church, and visiting relatives.

He returned and then left like a gust of wind. Mai Trung always brought peace of mind to his parents and grandparents in Vietnam, assuring them that his strong physique, his understanding and practice of the principle that birds have nests and people have ancestry, were enough to ensure he could live comfortably anywhere. Canada would have Vietnamese children born and raised there, who would return – and leave in the same way their parents do now.

Suddenly, I remembered Nguyen Tam. The way she walked out was just as confident. Tam lives in Fukuyama (Hiroshima, Japan). Tam and her husband have jobs and a fairly stable income in Japan.

She and her husband are always excited to return home for the Lunar New Year and are always eager to go back to Japan. For her, the place where her romantic dreams can be fulfilled is the land of cherry blossoms.

I never thought about not returning, nor did I ever think about not settling abroad. I wanted to return to my family and clan, but I left with the youthful ambition to build a life and career for myself.

During her trips back to Vietnam, she sometimes encountered some paperwork issues for each flight. She said she only hoped that the administrative procedures wouldn't be too complicated and slow, and that these things wouldn't make the journey back to Vietnam even longer for people like her.

I told her to choose a different approach: instead of getting annoyed about the delays in her work in Japan, she should say, "Thank goodness, I get to spend a few more days with Mom."

Homeland is always in the hearts of Vietnamese children living abroad. Photo: MUC DONG

Looking towards the homeland

Why can't I be in Vietnam? When a 10-year-old asks their parents this question, they aren't waiting for an answer, but expressing their wish to be in Vietnam, a wish of a child born and raised in Australia.

This past Lunar New Year (Year of the Snake) coincided with my child's summer vacation, so my whole family got to celebrate the holiday for almost a month in our hometown. We go back home every year, but whenever it's time to leave, the little boy cries for hours.

And she kept repeating the phrase about wishing she were in Vietnam, until she was finally settled in her seat on the plane.

The journey from Vietnam to Australia always feels longer on the way there than on the way back, because of my child's tantrums. But the sadness will pass, like so many other children's sorrows.

But deep down, invisible grains of sand kept piling up the boy's longing for home. His family and relatives were there. Later, when he grows up and becomes an adult, I believe he will return in the way children do: innocent, joyful, and full of love. That's also how my sister prepared her child for settling in Australia.

Nearly five years have passed since Nhu Ly moved to Indianapolis (USA), and she hasn't returned to Vietnam. Indiana is a state in the Midwest of the United States with a relatively small Vietnamese population.

Seeking a better life in the wider world , pursuing happiness on earth—both are justifiable. That's what Lee told himself when he chose to settle in Indianapolis, even though it was a very difficult choice.

On the day of her return, amidst her petty calculations, a sudden longing arose when she looked at her son, who was half-Vietnamese. Her husband was American. The boy was the spitting image of his father and couldn't yet speak Vietnamese.

Connections are never lacking, with the world at her fingertips, but she hasn't figured out when she'll return to Vietnam. Only when she's back in Quang Nam will she have more of the world at her fingertips, with a bowl of Quang Nam noodles and the warm embrace of her mother.

Studying, working, or settling abroad – Vietnamese citizens choose to establish themselves and build their careers in many ways. Along this journey, whether their footprints are deep or shallow, they still open up different spaces and dimensions in the thinking of young people.

Go to discover yourself and pursue your dreams. Like when my younger brother or Mai Trung passed on information about studying abroad and spring job opportunities to their friends when they needed it.

The list of occupations with long-term shortages, which boosts job opportunities and long-term settlement prospects for international students in Canada, Australia, or Singapore, is published by immigration authorities.

Those things are a good starting point for journeys. And then, there will always be eyes looking back at the homeland with a longing to return, for the children and for those who will eventually grow old...

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/tren-nhung-dau-chan-qua-3150262.html