Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

To offer Vietnamese expats a rewarding weekend in celebrating the upcoming National Day of Vietnam, Taipei’s Department of Labor (DOL) held the 2009 Vietnam Cultural Festival at the Daan Forest Park on August 23.

The organizers invited singers from Vietnam to perform at the event, attracting thousands of Vietnamese expats from Taipei and municipalities across Taiwan, many of whom are new immigrants and migrant laborers.

According to the mayor, there are roughly 5,000 workers from Vietnam working in Taipei; likewise, there over 1,300 Vietnamese spouses living in the city. After greeting the audience in Vietnamese, he remarked that the city government is holding the festival to express its gratitude to the Vietnamese expats for contributing to the city’s development and to help them relieve homesickness.

During his address, the mayor reminded the audience to contact the city government if they face any kind of problem at work or daily life. By organizing cultural events of different countries, he hopes local residents will be able to learn more about the people from different nations across the world.

Vietnam Economic and Cultural Office Director Nguyen Ba Cu thanked both Mayor Hau and Commissioner Su Yin-kuei of DOL for taking care of Vietnamese nationals in the city and strengthening the friendship of Vietnam and Taiwan.