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.
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
A fourth public debate was held today about restarting the recently decommissioned Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, ahead of a referendum on the controversial issue to be held in less than two weeks. A referendum on Aug. 23 is to ask voters if they agree that “the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant should continue operations upon approval by the competent authority and confirmation that there are no safety concerns.” Anyone over 18 years of age can vote in the referendum. The vote comes just three months after its final reactor shut down, officially making Taiwan nuclear-free. Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) represented
RSS