Vietnamese girls with fans.
Source: Museum Victoria
On Sunday 5 June the Immigration Museum celebrated a highly successful Vietnamese Festival.
The day began with the launch of the photographic exhibition, ‘30 Years in the Making: the Vietnamese Community in Australia.’ The Rt Hon Malcolm Fraser gave a moving speech to an audience of over a thousand enthusiastic onlookers, from both the Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese communities.
Phong Nguyen, president of the Ethnic Community Council of Victoria, said Vietnamese Australians regarded Mr Fraser as a saviour. The audience reinforced this view, giving the former prime minister a standing ovation.
Following the launch, visitors enjoyed dancing, performances and fashion parades in the courtyard, featuring beautiful traditional costumes. The theatrette was transformed by cooking demonstrations and magnificent flower decorations, including an amazing phoenix created using Vietnamese and Australian plants.
Many families attended the festival, with children eagerly participating in activities in the Long Room (Journeys Gallery). With calligraphy being taught in one corner, traditional Vietnamese Lantern making in another and storytelling in another, it became a hive of activity, assisted by volunteers and staff from Museum Victoria and the Vietnamese community.