Vietnamese people in Hong Kong
Encyclopedia
Many of the Vietnamese people in Hong Kong immigrated as a result of the war
and persecution in Vietnam
since the mid-1970s. There is however also small but growing community of diaspora vietnamese being sent to Hong Kong
forming an expatriate community, from countries far afield like Australia
, USA, UK, Germany
, France
, Denmark
and Austria
.
Backed by a humanitarian policy of the Hong Kong Government, and under the auspices of the United Nations, some Vietnamese were permitted to settle in Hong Kong.
The illegal entry
of Vietnamese refugee
s was a problem which plagued the Hong Kong government for 25 years. The problem was only resolved in 2000. Between 1975 and 1999, 143,700 Vietnamese refugees were resettled in other countries and more than 67,000 Vietnamese migrants were repatriated.
The Vietnamese community in Hong Kong today falls into 2 major categories. Those who came as refugees who ended up staying and integrating into the local community and those who have found themselves in Hong Kong via a 3rd country due to either their work or personal circumstances. This second group although small is a growing community which represents the breadth of the Vietnamese diaspora.
ended in 1975, Vietcong forces reunited the northern
and southern
halves of the country, many people began to flee out of fear of the new Communist Government
. Many refugees fled across the border into Thailand
, whilst others headed by boat to nearby countries, initially Singapore
, Malaysia, Indonesia
, and Hong Kong.
Hong Kong received its first wave of Vietnamese refugees on 4 May 1975. A 3,743-strong refugee
group was found hiding on board the Danish freighter
Clara Mærsk and were accepted as refugees. Although the Hong Kong Government declared them "illegal immigrants
", this arrival marked the start of a wave of refugee migrations to Hong Kong. Initially, Western governments shirked responsibility for resetling any refugees. In 1976, the Hong Kong Government applied to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) for material aid and faster processing of resettlement requests. One year later, this first group of refugees, who had been under the responsibility of the Civil Aid Services, were entirely resettled in the United States, France, Germany, Australia, and Hong Kong.
In 1979, the Vietcong started ethnic cleansing
in major cities in Vietnam
, causing many ethnic Chinese from Vietnam to seek refugee status in Hong Kong. Hong Kong declared itself the "port of first asylum". Soon, the Thai government stopped accepting refugees. Singapore and Malaysia did not allow the refugees to land, effectively turning the refugees away. Hong Kong, with the status of "safe haven", soon became the leading destination. The BBC World Service
spurred the choice by making known Hong Kong's 3-month grace period in which to make resettlement applications to a third country. Hong Kong was also known for its liberal policy of allowing landed refugees the right to work. It was the peak year of arrivals, when more than 68,700 people arrived in Hong Kong.
To deter the influx of refugees, new arrivals from Vietnam were interned in "closed camps
" from July 1982 as possibilities for resettlement to third countries dwindled. These camps were criticised for keeping freedom-seeking people "behind barbed wire".
The United States started imposing stricter entry requirements on refugees in 1982 in a bid to slow the numbers accepted. The fact that war atrocities were long since over, together with the worldwide recession, caused the realisation that the refugees were predominantly economic. Most refugees from Vietnam from about 1984 were part of the "orderly departure scheme" sanctioned by the Vietnamese government.
By 1987, many other Western countries had lowered their quotas for Vietnamese refugees whilst the influx into Hong Kong continued to increase, peaking at some 300 a day in 1989, fed by rumours that Vietnamese migrants could gain amnesty simply by landing on Hong Kong soil. The government adopted a Comprehensive Plan of Action
on 16 June 1988, separating political refugees (classified as refugees) from economic refugees (classified as "boat people
"). Economic refugees were considered illegal immigrants; they were denied the right to be transferred to a third country and were all sent back to Vietnam.
The Comprehensive Plan of Action was carried out by 1994. During the late 1980s and 1990s, the Hong Kong government began to broadcast a Vietnamese radio announcement in an attempt to deter Vietnamese migrants from making way to Hong Kong. This came to be known as the Bắt đầu từ nay broadcast.
As the situation in Vietnam improved, and the flow of boat people was stemmed, Hong Kong's status as a First Port of Refuge was revoked on 9 January 1998. However, until 2000, Hong Kong still issued identity cards to the boat people in Hong Kong in an effort to allow them to assimilate
into the society.
Regina Ip
also commented that "the only effective and durable solution" for the refugees and migrants was "complete integration", and that "Integration is a humanitarian solution, especially for the children of the [refugees] and [migrants] who were born in Hong Kong."
in Chatham Road
pending their resettlement. This camp was to be demolished in 1977
.
Some 2,600 refugees aboard the vessel Skyluck
which arrived on 7 February 1979 were refused the right to land due to a shortage of facilities, and were kept on board the vessel for over 4 months. The conditions were regarded as being superior to some terrestrial "transit camps". On 29 June 1979, some refugees cut the anchor chain, causing the 3,500-ton ship to drift into rocks near Lamma Island
, and sink.
In June 1979, a camp was set up on a site adjacent to the Police station
at Sham Shui Po
(closed March 1981), another was opened at Jubilee (closed November 1980); the Government opened the former Argyle Street Army camp to accommodate an estimated 20,000 refugees; the Kai Tak East camp was set up to house an estimated 10,000; a 23-storey factory building in Tuen Mun
to house an additional 16,000 was set up, temporary facilities were established at the Government Dockyard
and Western Quarantine Anchorage.
The Chimawan Detention Centre would become the first closed camp after the Government passed the Immigration (Amendment) Bill 1982, set up on 2 July. Plans for a second camp, at Hei Long Chau, were initiated at the end of July, shortly after the arrival of 1,523 refugees in the month. Another closed camp was set up in Cape Collinson
The Whitehead camp was set up in Wu Kai Sha
, Sha Tin District
, to accommodate 28,000. Later, from June 1989, the runway of the former military airfield at Sek Kong
was turned into a holding facility to house an estimated 7,000 refugees, amidst protests from local residents. Prior to the 1997 handover, the facility reverted to as an airfield and is now used by the PLA Air Force.
The United Nations owed Hong Kong HK$1.61 billion for its handling of Vietnamese boat people
. The loan is still outstanding.
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and persecution in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
since the mid-1970s. There is however also small but growing community of diaspora vietnamese being sent to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
forming an expatriate community, from countries far afield like Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, USA, UK, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Backed by a humanitarian policy of the Hong Kong Government, and under the auspices of the United Nations, some Vietnamese were permitted to settle in Hong Kong.
The illegal entry
Illegal entry
Illegal entry is the act of foreign nationals arriving in or crossing the borders into a country in violation of its immigration law.Migrants from nations that do not have automatic visa agreements, or who would not otherwise qualify for a visa, often cross the borders illegally in some areas like...
of Vietnamese refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s was a problem which plagued the Hong Kong government for 25 years. The problem was only resolved in 2000. Between 1975 and 1999, 143,700 Vietnamese refugees were resettled in other countries and more than 67,000 Vietnamese migrants were repatriated.
The Vietnamese community in Hong Kong today falls into 2 major categories. Those who came as refugees who ended up staying and integrating into the local community and those who have found themselves in Hong Kong via a 3rd country due to either their work or personal circumstances. This second group although small is a growing community which represents the breadth of the Vietnamese diaspora.
1970s - from a trickle to a flood
After the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
ended in 1975, Vietcong forces reunited the northern
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
and southern
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
halves of the country, many people began to flee out of fear of the new Communist Government
Politics of Vietnam
Notwithstanding the 1992 Constitution's affirmation of the central role of the Communist Party, the National Assembly, according to the Constitution, is the highest representative body of the people and the only organization with legislative powers. It has a broad mandate to oversee all government...
. Many refugees fled across the border into Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, whilst others headed by boat to nearby countries, initially Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Malaysia, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, and Hong Kong.
Hong Kong received its first wave of Vietnamese refugees on 4 May 1975. A 3,743-strong refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
group was found hiding on board the Danish freighter
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
Clara Mærsk and were accepted as refugees. Although the Hong Kong Government declared them "illegal immigrants
Illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration into a nation in violation of the immigration laws of that jurisdiction. Illegal immigration raises many political, economical and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.In...
", this arrival marked the start of a wave of refugee migrations to Hong Kong. Initially, Western governments shirked responsibility for resetling any refugees. In 1976, the Hong Kong Government applied to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) for material aid and faster processing of resettlement requests. One year later, this first group of refugees, who had been under the responsibility of the Civil Aid Services, were entirely resettled in the United States, France, Germany, Australia, and Hong Kong.
In 1979, the Vietcong started ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic orreligious group from certain geographic areas....
in major cities in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, causing many ethnic Chinese from Vietnam to seek refugee status in Hong Kong. Hong Kong declared itself the "port of first asylum". Soon, the Thai government stopped accepting refugees. Singapore and Malaysia did not allow the refugees to land, effectively turning the refugees away. Hong Kong, with the status of "safe haven", soon became the leading destination. The BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
spurred the choice by making known Hong Kong's 3-month grace period in which to make resettlement applications to a third country. Hong Kong was also known for its liberal policy of allowing landed refugees the right to work. It was the peak year of arrivals, when more than 68,700 people arrived in Hong Kong.
1980s - stemming the tide
The tide of refugees continued to flow, and in 1980, more than 100,000 Vietnamese sought refugee rights in Hong Kong. At this time, these migrants usually succeeded in gaining refugee status, and were eventually accepted by Western countries.To deter the influx of refugees, new arrivals from Vietnam were interned in "closed camps
Refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
" from July 1982 as possibilities for resettlement to third countries dwindled. These camps were criticised for keeping freedom-seeking people "behind barbed wire".
The United States started imposing stricter entry requirements on refugees in 1982 in a bid to slow the numbers accepted. The fact that war atrocities were long since over, together with the worldwide recession, caused the realisation that the refugees were predominantly economic. Most refugees from Vietnam from about 1984 were part of the "orderly departure scheme" sanctioned by the Vietnamese government.
By 1987, many other Western countries had lowered their quotas for Vietnamese refugees whilst the influx into Hong Kong continued to increase, peaking at some 300 a day in 1989, fed by rumours that Vietnamese migrants could gain amnesty simply by landing on Hong Kong soil. The government adopted a Comprehensive Plan of Action
Comprehensive Plan of Action
The Comprehensive Plan of Action is a program, adopted in June, 1989 at a conference in Geneva held by The Steering Committee of the International Conference on Indo-Chinese Refugees, which was designed to deter and to stop the continuing influx of Indochinese boat people and to cope with an...
on 16 June 1988, separating political refugees (classified as refugees) from economic refugees (classified as "boat people
Boat people
Boat people is a term that usually refers to refugees, illegal immigrants or asylum seekers who emigrate in numbers in boats that are sometimes old and crudely made...
"). Economic refugees were considered illegal immigrants; they were denied the right to be transferred to a third country and were all sent back to Vietnam.
1990s - orderly repatriations
In the early 1990s, the Hong Kong government began an orderly repatriation programme. It began as a voluntary programme, but it was poorly received by the Vietnamese migrants, despite an agreement with the Vietnamese government that barred retributions against the migrants upon their return. Eventually, the Hong Kong government decided to forcibly repatriate the Vietnamese boat people.The Comprehensive Plan of Action was carried out by 1994. During the late 1980s and 1990s, the Hong Kong government began to broadcast a Vietnamese radio announcement in an attempt to deter Vietnamese migrants from making way to Hong Kong. This came to be known as the Bắt đầu từ nay broadcast.
As the situation in Vietnam improved, and the flow of boat people was stemmed, Hong Kong's status as a First Port of Refuge was revoked on 9 January 1998. However, until 2000, Hong Kong still issued identity cards to the boat people in Hong Kong in an effort to allow them to assimilate
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...
into the society.
2000s - integration
In February 2000, the Hong Kong government announced that it would widen the Local Resettlement Scheme for Vietnamese refugees and migrants, allowing 1,400 refugees and migrants to settle in Hong Kong. The plan applied to 973 refugees that have been stranded in Hong Kong, and 327 migrants whom the Vietnamese government refused to accept. It did not apply to Vietnamese illegal immigrants. While stating that Hong Kong would continue to enforce the policy of repatriating illegal immigrants from Vietnam, then-Secretary for SecuritySecretary for Security
The Secretary for Security is the member of the Hong Kong Government in charge of the Security Bureau, which is responsible for public safety, security, and immigration matters....
Regina Ip
Regina Ip
Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, GBS JP is a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong , as well as the co-founder and current chairwoman of the New People's Party and Savantas Policy Institute....
also commented that "the only effective and durable solution" for the refugees and migrants was "complete integration", and that "Integration is a humanitarian solution, especially for the children of the [refugees] and [migrants] who were born in Hong Kong."
Facilities
The first batch of 3,743 refugees in 1975 had been settled in a civilian refugee campRefugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
in Chatham Road
Chatham Road
Chatham Road South and Chatham Road North are two continuous roads spanning from Tsim Sha Tsui to Hung Hom in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The road originally ran from Signal Hill to Hung Hom under No. 12 Hill by the side of Hung Hom Bay...
pending their resettlement. This camp was to be demolished in 1977
.
Some 2,600 refugees aboard the vessel Skyluck
Skyluck
The Skyluck was a 3,500-ton Panamanian-registered freighter which carried a cargo of 2,700 desperate Chinese and Vietnamese boat people fleeing war-ravaged Vietnam four years after the fall of Saigon. The ship crept into Hong Kong harbour under the cover of darkness on 8 February 1979, but was...
which arrived on 7 February 1979 were refused the right to land due to a shortage of facilities, and were kept on board the vessel for over 4 months. The conditions were regarded as being superior to some terrestrial "transit camps". On 29 June 1979, some refugees cut the anchor chain, causing the 3,500-ton ship to drift into rocks near Lamma Island
Lamma Island
Lamma Island , also known as Pok Liu Chau or simply Pok Liu , is the third largest island in Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Islands District.-Name:...
, and sink.
In June 1979, a camp was set up on a site adjacent to the Police station
Sham Shui Po Police Station
Sham Shui Po Police Station situates at the junction of Lai Chi Kok Road and Yen Chow Street, Sham Shui Po. It was built in 1924 with three storeys.It is graded as Grade III historic building....
at Sham Shui Po
Sham Shui Po
Sham Shui Po, or Shamshuipo, is an area of Sham Shui Po District, Hong Kong, situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, north of Tai Kok Tsui, east of Cheung Sha Wan and south of Shek Kip Mei. Sham Shui Po is known for its street market for electronic devices.-History:Sham Shui Po...
(closed March 1981), another was opened at Jubilee (closed November 1980); the Government opened the former Argyle Street Army camp to accommodate an estimated 20,000 refugees; the Kai Tak East camp was set up to house an estimated 10,000; a 23-storey factory building in Tuen Mun
Tuen Mun
Tuen Mun is a town near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in Hong Kong which can be dated back to the Neolithic period. In the more recent past, it was home to many Tanka fishermen who gathered at the Castle...
to house an additional 16,000 was set up, temporary facilities were established at the Government Dockyard
Government Dockyard
Government Dockyard is a dockyard of Hong Kong Government responsible for the design, procurement and maintenance of all vessels owned by the Government....
and Western Quarantine Anchorage.
The Chimawan Detention Centre would become the first closed camp after the Government passed the Immigration (Amendment) Bill 1982, set up on 2 July. Plans for a second camp, at Hei Long Chau, were initiated at the end of July, shortly after the arrival of 1,523 refugees in the month. Another closed camp was set up in Cape Collinson
Cape Collinson
Cape Collinson , also Hak Kok Tau , is a cape located near Ngan Wan between Siu Sai Wan and Big Wave Bay in the east most point of the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It faces Tathong Channel....
The Whitehead camp was set up in Wu Kai Sha
Wu Kai Sha
Wu Kai Sha , formerly known as Wu Kwai Sha or U Kwai Sha , is a place at the shore of Tolo Harbour, northwest of Ma On Shan in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It is famous for a campsite, Wu Kai Sha Youth Village of YMCA. Originally there were only a few villages like Wu Kwai Sha Village. It is...
, Sha Tin District
Sha Tin District
Sha Tin District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. One of the 9 districts located in the New Territories, it covers the areas of Sha Tin, Tai Wai, Ma On Shan, Fo Tan, Siu Lek Yuen and Ma Liu Shui . The district has the highest population...
, to accommodate 28,000. Later, from June 1989, the runway of the former military airfield at Sek Kong
Shek Kong Airfield
The Shek Kong Airfield , ICAO:VHSK), formerly RAF Sek Kong/Sek Kong Airfield, is an airbase located in Shek Kong of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ....
was turned into a holding facility to house an estimated 7,000 refugees, amidst protests from local residents. Prior to the 1997 handover, the facility reverted to as an airfield and is now used by the PLA Air Force.
Financial cost
The Security Branch revealed that, as at January 1983, the total cash outlay due to feeding and accommodating refugees had amounted to HKD270 million, of which 110 was borne by Hong Kong, HKD120 million by the UNHCR, and the remainder by international agencies.The United Nations owed Hong Kong HK$1.61 billion for its handling of Vietnamese boat people
Boat people
Boat people is a term that usually refers to refugees, illegal immigrants or asylum seekers who emigrate in numbers in boats that are sometimes old and crudely made...
. The loan is still outstanding.