Vietnamese people in Russia
Encyclopedia
Vietnamese people in Russia form the 72nd-largest ethnic minority community in Russia
according to the 2002 census
. With only 26,205 individuals, they are one of the smaller groups of overseas Vietnamese. However, unofficial estimates put their population as high as 100,000 to 150,000. Almost two-thirds reside in Moscow
, concentrated in the southern part of the city, near the Akademicheskaya Metro station, where authorities have erected a statue of Ho Chi Minh
. Other large communities can be found in Vladivostok
and Saint Petersburg
, though the community in Moscow is the most well-established and has the highest proportion of long-term residents (those who have been living there for more than 5 years). Assessments of their proficiency in the Russian language
vary as well; the Census recorded that roughly 80% could speak Russian, while one article in Vietnamese state-run media claimed that "many Vietnamese find it unnecessary to learn Russian. In fact, many hardly speak the language at all." The Census also recorded that virtually all can speak Vietnamese
.
Most Vietnamese people in Russia are enterpreneurs in the retail industry; with Russia's 2007 reform of rules for retail markets, which put restrictions on the proportion of immigrant-owned shops and require Russian-language proficiency examinations as a condition of being granted a work permit and a business licence, many Vietnamese will have to close their businesses and find other lines of work, probably as manual labourers. Students also form another important group; Ho Chi Minh
himself studied in Moscow in the 1920s, along with other senior members of the Communist Party of Vietnam
. They were followed by an estimated total of 50,000 Vietnamese who studied in Russia during the Cold War
. Academic exchange between the two countries continued even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union
; , roughly 4,000 Vietnamese students were studying in Russian universities; the Russian government provides scholarships to 160 of them. Notable Vietnamese students who have studied in Russia since the dissolution of the Soviet Union include Quynh Nguyen
, a pianist from Hanoi who received a scholarshop to Moscow's Gnessin State Musical College
.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
according to the 2002 census
Russian Census (2002)
Russian Census of 2002 was the first census of the Russian Federation carried out on October 9 through October 16, 2002. It was carried out by the Russian Federal Service of State Statistics .-Resident population:...
. With only 26,205 individuals, they are one of the smaller groups of overseas Vietnamese. However, unofficial estimates put their population as high as 100,000 to 150,000. Almost two-thirds reside in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, concentrated in the southern part of the city, near the Akademicheskaya Metro station, where authorities have erected a statue of Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh
Hồ Chí Minh , born Nguyễn Sinh Cung and also known as Nguyễn Ái Quốc, was a Vietnamese Marxist-Leninist revolutionary leader who was prime minister and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam...
. Other large communities can be found in Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
and Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, though the community in Moscow is the most well-established and has the highest proportion of long-term residents (those who have been living there for more than 5 years). Assessments of their proficiency in the Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
vary as well; the Census recorded that roughly 80% could speak Russian, while one article in Vietnamese state-run media claimed that "many Vietnamese find it unnecessary to learn Russian. In fact, many hardly speak the language at all." The Census also recorded that virtually all can speak Vietnamese
Vietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
.
Most Vietnamese people in Russia are enterpreneurs in the retail industry; with Russia's 2007 reform of rules for retail markets, which put restrictions on the proportion of immigrant-owned shops and require Russian-language proficiency examinations as a condition of being granted a work permit and a business licence, many Vietnamese will have to close their businesses and find other lines of work, probably as manual labourers. Students also form another important group; Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh
Hồ Chí Minh , born Nguyễn Sinh Cung and also known as Nguyễn Ái Quốc, was a Vietnamese Marxist-Leninist revolutionary leader who was prime minister and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam...
himself studied in Moscow in the 1920s, along with other senior members of the Communist Party of Vietnam
Communist Party of Vietnam
The Communist Party of Vietnam , formally established in 1930, is the governing party of the nation of Vietnam. It is today the only legal political party in that country. Describing itself as Marxist-Leninist, the CPV is the directing component of a broader group of organizations known as the...
. They were followed by an estimated total of 50,000 Vietnamese who studied in Russia during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. Academic exchange between the two countries continued even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
; , roughly 4,000 Vietnamese students were studying in Russian universities; the Russian government provides scholarships to 160 of them. Notable Vietnamese students who have studied in Russia since the dissolution of the Soviet Union include Quynh Nguyen
Quynh Nguyen
Quynh Nguyen is a classical pianist of Vietnamese descent. She started piano at age four, and was nine years old when she gave her first recital...
, a pianist from Hanoi who received a scholarshop to Moscow's Gnessin State Musical College
Gnessin State Musical College
The Gnessin State Musical College and Gnessin Russian Academy of Music is a prominent music school in Moscow, Russia...
.