NIA Culture Chat Room Podcast: Life Journey of Zhao Shi-han, a Second-generation Immigrant from Vietnam

In order to present a collection of great stories of new immigrants to Taiwan, the [Taiwan Immigrants’ Global News Network] collaborates with National Immigration Agency, Ministry of the Interior's podcast series [Culture Chat Room]. Zhao Shi-han (趙詩涵), a Vietnamese second-generation immigrant, is invited to this episode. Zhao Shihan is a student at Department of Marine Leisure and Tourism Management of Taipei University of Marine Technology. She arrived at Taiwan by herself when she was four years old to reconnect with her mother and stepfather. In primary school, she, too experienced a lot of difficulties, but progressively grew better, and today she is actively exploring many possibilities.

[Taiwan Immigrants’ Global News Network] also compiled this episode into 5 languages including Chinese, English, Vietnamese, Thai and Indonesian, sharing with readers Zhao Shi-han's childhood memories and her journey after immigrating to Taiwan.

Read more: New Immigrant from Hong Kong Filmed Documentary in Taiwan

Zhao Shi-han(趙詩涵) shared her childhood memories in Vietnam on the show.Photo provided by National Immigration Agency

Zhao Shi-han was born and raised in Vietnam, where she spent her first four years. Her grandmother, aunt, and uncle alternated in caring for her because her mother spent a significant amount of time working in Taiwan. Zhao Shi-han later traveled alone to Taiwan at the age of four to begin a new life after her mother remarried there. There, she lived with her mother and stepfather and began a new chapter in her life.

while Zhao Shi-han first came in Taoyuan, it was a shock for her because she had lived in the countryside while she was in Vietnam. Even though she thinks Taoyuan's traffic regulations are better and that more people adhere to them, she still finds it difficult to forget her upbringing in Vietnam. Zhao claimed that in Vietnam, most of the neighbors who live close by are their cousins, and they frequently visit each other. As a result, she believes that Vietnamese values the family more than Taiwanese does and that there is a stronger emotional bond between family members in Vietnam.

Read more: Vietnamese New Immigrants Collects Clothes for Foreign Fishermen in Winter

Zhao Shi-han(趙詩涵) keeps exploring  different interests, and improve skills in all aspects.Photo provided by National Immigration Agency

Zhao Shi-han had a difficult time studying when she initially arrived in Taiwan since she didn't comprehend any Chinese. She entered the first grade of elementary school without any prior knowledge of Chinese since Taiwan at the time did not offer bridge classes for overseas transfer students and the necessary auxiliary resources were severely deficient. She was unable to communicate with others in the classroom at school because she was unable to understand what her teachers and classmates were saying and since she lacked the skills to do so. She didn't know how to tell the instructor about being tormented by classmates, neither know how to tell her mother about the difficulty she ran into. Ultimately, all Zhao could do is endure it on her own while telling herself to be strong.

To hone her Chinese abilities, Zhao Shi-han not only took tutoring sessions after school but went to the cram school for tutoring. She had intense agony as a result of discontent in school and the rigorous study schedule, and she even yearned to return to Vietnam. Later, her mother told her, "You have to work harder than others because you are Vietnamese." This gave her the notion that she should put in 10 times as much effort as others in whatever she accomplished, and ever then, she has created from her own course in life.

Read more: Overstayers self-report for reduced penalty! Let NIA help you home!

The podcast "Culture Chat Room" produced by National Immigration Agency, Ministry of the Interior invites different new immigrants to share their life experiences in each episode.Photo provided by National Immigration Agency

Zhao Shi-han has acclimated to Taiwan's environment after years of diligent hard working. She now actively exploring new options in addition to living out her own life. As she continued to develop her potential and demonstrate the versatility, she also acquired permits for operating power boats, beauty and hairdressing, and other related professions in addition to the professional information she had studied in school.

Listen to [Culture Chat Room] of National Immigration Agency on the following platforms.

KK Box  SoundOn  Spotify  Apple Podcasts  Pocket Casts