Is it correct to say that the founding of the Association of Vietnamese in Mongolia must be a very important milestone for the overseas Vietnamese living here?

Vietnamese people residing in Mongolia mainly work in the auto repair service industry, some provide consumer goods that are brought from Vietnam, some work in eatery or work as photographers and provide wedding dress rental service.

In normal daily life, some still face many shortcomings in terms of transaction procedures, language ​​, and laws of Mongolia. Realizing the urgent need to set up an association to help and advise Vietnamese to live and work according to local laws, we applied to the Ministry of Justice of Mongolia and were granted a license authorized to establish a nonprofit organization working for the community.

After its founding in 2010, the Association received the enthusiastic support of the Vietnamese Embassy in Mongolia, as well as the care and concern of Ambassador Hoang Tuan Thinh. During his tenure in Mongolia, the Ambassador accompanied and supported many of our activities. Many other Ambassadors of the following terms so far have always been enthusiastic and contributed to the development of the Association.

Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in Mongolia Nguyen Huy Tuan (left) on behalf of the community and Mongolian people presented paintings to officers, soldiers, and people of Truong Sa. (Photo: TGVN)

As a community with a small number in such a large area as Mongolia, what did the Association do to gather its members?

There was a time when the most Vietnamese people in Mongolia were about 750; during the economic recession, the number decreased to only 284. Currently, there are about 500 Vietnamese people living and working here.

I believe that when it comes to gathering the community's strength and solidarity, the motto would be “Good wine needs no bush." To build reliability and reputation in the community, the Executive Committee of the Association must be the pioneers, taking the lead in helping others, especially during difficult time. We work in the spirit of "Good leaves cover torn leaves, less torn leaves cover more torn ones".

Besides regular support in daily life, we also advise on laws and legal documents to help Vietnamese people do business more easily. For example, the Vietnamese auto repair service profession is growing and is now very famous and prestigious in Mongolia.

I myself was one of the first people to run the auto repair service in this country. So far, the number of Vietnamese workers coming here to work is increasing day by day. The locals are very grateful to the Vietnamese community for helping to renovate damaged items for continued use.

Besides being President of the Association, you are also an entrepreneur working in the import of Vietnamese food to the Mongolian market. Can you share more about your work?

Over the past 20 years, we have been trying to bring Vietnamese agricultural products and food to Mongolia, mainly in the export of cucumbers, bananas, peanuts, sugar, coffee, coconut candy, etc. When I returned home, I saw that our farmers are facing many difficulties, especially when they only gain more profit if the crop is bad, and the price will drop when they harvest more food. So I hope they have a more stable income and bring foreign exchange to our country.

Every year, we export hundreds of containers of agricultural products and food to Mongolia. In the difficult context of the Covid-19 pandemic, we still try to maintain the market to help people have a fulcrum to export here. This also comes from responding to the Vietnamese Government's call that every Vietnamese should be an ambassador abroad to promote our products and contribute to the development of our country.

Recently, you represented Vietnamese expatriates in Mongolia to pay a special visit to Truong Sa and DK1 Platform at the invitation of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Can you share your feelings about this trip?

It was a very special trip with great meaning for me personally and for the Vietnamese community in Mongolia. On the islands that we visited, I deeply felt the sacredness, the flesh and blood of the country in the middle of the ocean, and at the same time felt the hardships and sacrifices of our cadres, soldiers, and compatriots for protecting the sovereignty of Vietnam over the sea and islands.

Through this trip, we feel that we need to have a greater responsibility in protecting the sea and islands, joining hands with the officers and soldiers and the people here. At the same time, we are also responsible for conveying sufficient information to the community where we live and work so that every Vietnamese, wherever they live in the world, can understand this sacred part of the Fatherland, the origin of each Vietnamese.

A special painting of President Ho Chi Minh was also presented to High School No. 14 named after President Ho Chi Minh at Ulan Bator. (Photo: TGVN)

It is known that you also brought a picture of President Ho Chi Minh during this trip. What is special about this painting?

Mongolia is a vast country, and the people of Mongolia are very friendly and generous. They have good feelings for the Vietnamese people, especially President Ho Chi Minh - the beloved leader of our nation.

Among my friends, there is an artist who specializes in making paintings and artworks out of horse skin. He loves Vietnam and President Ho Chi Minh very much, so he sent his feelings and the love of the Mongolian people into this 3D painting made of horse skin.

The painting was done very well in a month and we are very honored to represent the Vietnamese community and the people of Mongolia to present it to the soldiers and people of Truong Sa. The horse-skin painting of President Ho Chi Minh was also presented to the Chairman of the Mongolia-Vietnam Friendship Association S. Dashtsevel, the Vietnamese Embassy in Mongolia, and the 14th High School named after President Ho Chi Minh at Ulan Bator.

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