Compared with other adjacent countries in Slovakia there is still a relatively small number of foreigners. According to the latest survey of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Migration trends and situation in the area of migration in the Slovak Republic the share of foreigners to the total population is only one percent (approximately 52 000 foreigners). Is spite of it the number of foreigners coming to Slovakia is growing. Urban space attracts migrants with its variety of work oppurtunities and possibilities of earnings.
Vietnamese are one of the more numerous and relatively new immigrant groups in Slovakia. They started to arrive at Slovakia in the 1970s and their number is constantly growing as they have already formed a relatively stabile „migration bridge“ between Slovakia and Vietnam. Vietnamese traders and Vietnamese restaurants have become a part of the urban space of Slovak towns and cities. Although Vietnamese community seems isolated their entrepreneurial activities are oriented to the constant interaction with majority population. Since in Slovakia there is no form of support for individual immigrant groups which must then mainly rely upon their own social networks and assistance sources in acquisition of information. That is one of the reasons why Vietnamese in Bratislava mainly concentrate at the lodging house on the Nobelova street in Nové mesto, open-air markets (Miletičova) and in Vajnory.
During seminar I would like to pay specific attention to the integration strategies of Vietnamese migrants in Bratislava. Each of migrants’ communities has elected a sligtly different strategy for adapting to the urban enviroment. The particular strategies that have been chosen range from that of the labour-migration to multicultural and incorporative strategies. I would like to answer the question what strategies do they elect and how do they interact with majority population. Using qualitative in-depth interviews and method of participant observation I will investigate their everyday life and interactions at their work in restaurants and markets in Bratislava.
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Hi Ondrej,
ReplyDeleteI'm Vietnamese-American and was in Bratislava during the summer in 2009. I met a group of Vietnamese people at the train station. From talking to them, they said most of the Vietnamese immigrants come from North VN. Perhaps during your interviews, you can learn about their previous lives in VN. What is their background? Their level of education, their parents education, did they live on a farm, in a village, or in the city? etc.etc.
I also met other Vietnamese while in Warsazwa, Poland. It seems to me, Vietnamese immigrants of Central Europe came from an un-educated working-class in Vietnam. Which explains why they usually work at restaurants.
Here in California, I live in Orange County, second largest population of Vietnamese. We have all sorts of Vietnamese professionals: doctors, lawyers and pharmacists are the main professions. Those who came from a working class in Vietnam typically work in a nail salon. And of course, there's the restaurants.
Hope this helps Ondrej, I look forward to reading your project.
Hi Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your precious comments. I will forward them to Mirka.
All the best,
Ondrej
Hi Miroslava,
ReplyDeleteMaybe this is interesting for you...?
http://www.migrationonline.cz/e-library/?x=1963584
Hi Tiffany,
ReplyDeletethank you for your comment. I have already conducted some interviews with Vietnamese living in Bratislava and regarding their education you are right - they mostly come from un-educated working class in Vietnam. In spite of it some of them are high-educated - they belong to the first generation of Vietnamese immigrants. They don't work in their studied profession but they mainly set up business.
It needs deeper research and some knowledge of Vietnamese and I hope I'll get some more information.
Janos thank you for the link;)!
ReplyDelete