Vietnamese Brazilian
Vietnamese people form a small community in Brazil, where approximately 150 to 200 permanent residents are Vietnamese or of Vietnamese ancestry. Most of these residents are boat people that arrived after the Fall of Saigon. Today, the community remains relatively unknown by those in Vietnam and other Vietnamese community abroad.
History
There is no official record of Vietnamese immigrants migrating to Brazil prior to 1989, when Vietnam and Brazil initiated formal diplomatic relations. According to the report from Tuổi Trẻ, there were three Vietnamese academics and professors who taught at the University of São Paulo in the 1950s. Rare documents about immigration research such as Cebri and História da Marinha Mercante recollected the three main waves of nearly 150 Vietnamese immigrants who received aid and were granted citizenship by the Brazilian government. Most of these immigrants were boat people seeking asylum after the Fall of Saigon and were found and rescued by a Brazilian oil ship near the Philippines.
The first wave, consisting of more than 50 people, arrived in Brazil around February 1979, but later moved to other countries such as Canada, Australia, and the United States. The second wave of 26 immigrants arrived in September 1979. The third wave, a group of 10 people, arrived in early 1980. The Vietnamese had some trouble adapting to their adopted country.
Learning Portuguese was a major obstacle due to its obscurity in Vietnam.
Demographics
According to the Brazilian government's record, in 1995 there were about 1,000 Vietnamese people living in Brazil. However, according to the Vietnamese Embassy in Brazil's newest report, there are around 150 to 200 Vietnamese people and their descendants in Brazil, with most of them living in São Paulo. The sudden and drastic decrease of Vietnamese communities also happened in other South American countries, which is either attributed to the political and economical situation of the region, or miscalculation from Vietnamese officials.
Socioeconomic
The majority of Vietnamese in Brazil run small businesses that sell handmade suitcases, bags, wallets and other personal necessities. One famous company, Goóc, was established in 2004 by Thái Quang Nghĩa, who came to Brazil in 1979. Initially making sandals from recycled rubber, Goóc flourished in the Brazilian market within three years. With half a million sandal pairs, 80,000 wallets and bags produced every month, the company's annual revenue is around $30 million USD. Goóc was featured on CNN International as the company gained international attention.
Culture
Most Vietnamese people in Brazil still preserve traditional customs, such as celebrating Tết (Lunar New Year), making traditional Vietnamese food such as phở, and bánh chưng, despite food and material shortages. Today, the Vietnamese community in Brazil still remains isolated in comparison to other Overseas Vietnamese communities as well as people in Vietnam.
See also
- :pt:Brasileiros asiáticos