First Vietnamese museum opens in Melbourne

Australia's first museum dedicated to Vietnamese-Australian history opened in Sunshine on Saturday after a decade-long community campaign to establish a permanent monument.

Thousands fled after the Vietnam War

Thousands of Vietnamese refugees made perilous journeys to Australia in the mid-nineteen seventies after the Vietnam War ended, settling in Melbourne's Sunshine and St Albans or Sydney's Cabramatta and Canley Vale.

More than 350,000 Vietnamese-Australians today

There are more than three hundred fifty thousand people of Vietnamese-origin living in Australia, each with their own unique story to tell, according to museum chief executive Tammy Nguyen.

“There are more than 350,000 people of Vietnamese-origin living in Australia and everyone has their own unique story to tell.”

A living monument to the courageous

Tammy Nguyen said the museum is a living monument to those who left their homeland as refugees on overcrowded and unseaworthy boats, seeking freedom and a better future for generations to come.

“This museum is a living monument to all those who courageously left their homeland behind, often as refugees on overcrowded and unseaworthy boats, seeking freedom and a better future.”

Bipartisan support for the project

Victorian Premier Ben Carroll officially opened the centre on Saturday alongside MPs from across the political divide. Both federal and Victorian governments contributed millions alongside grassroots community contributions.

Mixed public attitudes in the nineteen seventies

University of Melbourne professor Lan Anh Hoang said public attitudes towards Vietnamese refugees in the nineteen seventies and eighties were mixed as the nation adjusted to life post-White Australia policy.

“In the immediate aftermath of the fall of Saigon, there was a great deal of sympathy and compassion, particularly because of Australia's own involvement in the war.”

Racism and kindness both marked the era

Vietnamese families and their children faced racism in the community and at school, though many describe kindness from churches and community organisations.

“It was not easy to be a Vietnamese kid growing up in Australia at that time.”

First test of post-White Australia policy

University of Technology Sydney professor Andrew Jakubowicz said the mid-nineteen seventies intake of Vietnamese-Australians under the Fraser Government was the first real test of the post-White Australia policy consensus.