The first Vietnamese woman to become one of the 56 national policy advisers to the president of Taiwan has spoken of her experiences in the past 12 years adapting to life there and dedicating herself to public service.
On July 28 at a sharing section held at the National Immigration Agency, Hồ Thanh Nhàn recalled her early years in Taiwan as a new immigrant wife, the China Times reported.
Twelve years ago just after she was married, she attended a job interview at a noodle shop in Pingtung county. The restaurant owner offered her a job at an hourly rate of only NT$75, NT$25 less than the the job was advertised because she was a newcomer to the country.
It took a lot of time and hard work to teach new immigrants, the boss said coldly. Hồ said she walked away immediately despite the fact that she needed a job. She wanted to prove that new immigrants were no different from their Taiwanese counterparts in terms of ability and attitude.
Over the years, with the wholehearted support of her husband and two sons, Hồ not only looked after her family, she also made good use of her time to learn Mandarin and Taiwanese Hokkien. She also obtained qualifications in cooking Chinese dishes, legal interpreting and caring for the needs of new immigrant wives in Taiwan.
In recent years, she also dedicated herself to public service, handling cases involving domestic abuse victims, runaway migrant workers or victims of human trafficking.