


COLOMBO – On the occasion of the Viet Nam Women’s Day 2024, the Embassy of Viet Nam in Sri Lanka hosted an interactive session attended by Vietnamese women living in Sri Lanka, including those married to Sri Lankans and nuns studying in Sri Lanka.
This program allowed the female Vietnamese community in Sri Lanka to explore ways to bring Viet Nam closer to Sri Lanka through people-to-people exchange and activities.
The Viet Nam Women’s Day traces its roots back to 1930, when the first Vietnamese Women’s Congress was held in Vinh Phuc Province. Organized by the Viet Nam Revolutionary Youth League, the congress sought to advance women’s rights and their role in the fight for national independence. Since then, October 20th has been a day to honor Vietnamese women and their ongoing struggle for equality and social justice.
Interestingly, in Sri Lanka, October is also a month for promoting awareness of women’s health, particularly breast cancer awareness.
This year’s celebrations come at a time when Viet Nam is making significant strides in gender equality. According to the United Nations, Vietnamese women are playing an increasingly prominent role in all aspects of life in recent years.
Speaking at the event, Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam marked the significance of this occasion and highlighted the qualities of Vietnamese women, such as their resourcefulness, endurance and dedication to family which they preserve and promote whether they live in Viet Nam or abroad. The Ambassador also praised the policies and measures being taken by Viet Nam and Sri Lanka to promote women’s empowerment and gender equality. In both nations, the proportion of women occupying significant political, economic, and social roles is rising. While Sri Lanka recently nominated a female prime minister, Viet Nam has a vice president and three female ministers. Even recent Vietnamese Ambassadors to Sri Lanka were mostly female.
Every Vietnamese woman in Sri Lanka was invited to become an ambassador to bring the image and culture of Viet Nam closer to the people of Sri Lanka, particularly through their interactions with their Sri Lankan families, neighbors, and colleagues.
The participants shared their experiences of living and studying in Sri Lanka, noting the good affection of the Sri Lankan people for Viet Nam. The community valued their love and support for one another despite their differences, as well as the Embassy’s care and support when needed. They also acknowledged the challenges of language, cultural, and lifestyle differences, as well as the scarcity of Vietnamese products in local markets. To address these challenges, the group brainstormed ideas, including online English classes for Buddhist monks and nuns, establishing a Vietnamese women’s association, and creating more effective communication channels.
The event also provided a floor to brainstorm suggestions to overcome the challenges when living far away from the homeland.
The Vietnamese community in Sri Lankan comprising mainly Buddhist monks and nuns, ladies married to Sri Lankan men and workers on foreign projects. Despite numbering only around 200, the community has been actively contributing to the development of Sri Lanka and introducing Vietnamese culture to a wider population.
Sri Lanka currently has four Vietnamese restaurants in Colombo, and a Vietnamese temple in Kandy, promoting Vietnamese culture in Sri Lanka.
The Embassy of Viet Nam in Sri Lanka has been able to make itself a beloved address for the community, always prioritizing attention to them, encourages timely visits and providing other assistance when necessary. The community always actively supports and assists the Embassy in major activities, especially in celebrating Viet Nam National Day, community Tet, Birth Anniversary celebrations of President Ho Chi Minh, International Vesak celebration, etc.
This occasion provided another wonderful opportunity for the Vietnamese community in Sri Lanka to meet and interact with each other in a warm and joyful atmosphere while showcasing the beauty of their traditional costume “Áo Dài”.
Viet Nam Women’s Day is more than a celebration – It’s a call to action. It is a call for all Vietnamese people, men and women alike, to commit themselves to building a more just and equitable society. As Viet Nam moves forward, the empowerment of women will be key to its success, and the commemoration of Women’s Day serves as a powerful reminder of this.