Vietnamese immigrant Tran Thi Hue (陳氏桂) won first prize at the sixth Taiwan Literature Award for Migrants for her work That Year, the Plum Blossom Bloomed, which tells the story of a Vietnamese woman who was abused by her Taiwanese husband and developed a mental illness.
The award was established to showcase the literary talents of immigrants and migrant workers, and the prizes were presented at the Alishan National Scenic Area on Sunday.
Tran, born in Vietnam in 1987, moved to Taiwan in 2015 after marrying a Taiwanese man.
It is difficult for Vietnamese women to integrate into Taiwanese society, Tran said, adding that she hopes her story will help more people to understand the plight of migrants and treat them with greater respect.
Her work tells the story of a friend who married a Taiwanese man, she said.
However, after moving to Taiwan, her friend was subjected to domestic violence and eventually developed a mental illness, Tran said.
Her friend was then forced to return to Vietnam and was separated from her one-year-old daughter, she added.
Tran said that her husband was working in the aquaculture industry in Vietnam when they met.
They moved to Taiwan following a downturn in the industry and now run a Vietnamese restaurant in Pingtung County, she said.
Over the past four years, Tran said she has heard many sad stories involving female migrants and they inspired her to write the story, in which she incorporated her own experience.
“With the story I wrote, I hope we can all learn to understand and tolerate each other, to take care of and help each other,” Tran said, expressing the hope that as Taiwanese society makes more efforts to help migrants feel at home, the sad experiences of her friend would not be repeated.
Tran received a trophy and NT$100,000 in prize money.
The award was organized by the Southeast Asia Educational, Scientific and Cultural Association and first held in 2014.
Taiwan Literature Award for Migrants convener Chang Cheng (張正) told the award ceremony that he organized the award to showcase migrants’ literary talents.
It is a difficult task, but he has long wanted to do something for migrants, Chang said.
The award received 680 entries this year, the most ever. Eight winners were chosen in nine categories, including the Teen Choice Award, Macau Special Award, Jury Award and the First Prize.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS