From Hanoi to Prague An interview with Pham Huu Uyen By Jules Eisenchteter
The Vietnamese community, estimated to be around 70,000 strong, is an essential part of Czech society. Yet, the real story of this Southeast Asian diaspora at the heart of Europe remains a mystery to many. Born in a small village in north Vietnam, Pham Huu Uyen came to Prague in the early 1980s on a government scholarship, as part of a bilateral agreement that enabled thousands of Vietnamese guest workers and students to gain experience and know-how in communist Czechoslovakia. Like many of his compatriots, he thought his stay would only be temporary. But his story took a different turn. After an intensive year of Czech language courses, Pham Huu Uyen completed his studies at the Mathematics and Physical Faculty of Charles University. Amidst the turmoil of the early 1990s, he started an independent, pro-democratic magazine, Diễn Đàn (Forum), with some friends, an endeavour which landed him in the cross-hairs of Vietnamese authorities and forced him to apply for refugee status. A few years later, he received Czech citizenship and founded his own company, KITE System, which provides IT solutions and software in the aviation sector and thrives to this day.
The uncertain rise of the Vietnamese community The integration of Vietnamese into Czech society after the fall of communism wasn’t painless. “The early 1990s was a very difficult time for us,” he explained. “Although it had probably always existed, hidden beneath the surface, xenophobic sentiment and racist attacks against Vietnamese people suddenly became quite common and widespread.” The storm eventually passed. “The situation has continuously improved since, and Vietnamese are now well integrated, even though some children still have some problems at school,” Pham Huu Uyen said. Acceptance grew as their numbers skyrocketed, nearly doubling in 20 years. In 2013, the Vietnamese community, now the third-largest in the country, became the first non-European minority to join the Council for National Minorities, an advisory body set up to assist the Czech government in all matters pertaining to a dozen officially recognised ethnicities established in the country. Beating two other candidates, Pham Huu Uyen was appointed that year as the first official chief spokesman and representative of the country’s Vietnamese population. “I was a bit sceptical at first, but my friends eventually convinced me that I would be right for the position,” he said with a wry smile. Despite its limited powers, the Council for National Minorities has been instrumental in improving the situation of the Vietnamese community. But Pham Huu Uyen won’t be their standard-bearer once his second term ends in 2023. “It’s time to let the younger generation run the show.”
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