Vietnamese village in Ukraine

An urban village was set up for some 300 Vietnamese families in the Ukrainian city of Kharkov to preserve their national cultural identity.

The village named Thoi Dai (Era) has seen many celebrations of Mid-Autumn, Lunar New Year and other traditional festivals since it was built by Vinamex Company in 2003 in a traditional style of Vietnamese architecture.

It has a 10m tall bronze statue of the Vietnamese Saint Giong and a Phu Dong square of nearly 10,000m2. It also includes a hotel called Sun Light and a water park ‘Jungle’, which have become favourite recreational destinations for residents of Kharkov and adjacent areas.

With a full sense of the close-knit community Vietnamese businesspeople in this area are ready to assist one another and also 6,000 other residents across Ukraine.

Le Viet Lam, a well-known Vietnamese businessman who has learnt about many bustling Chinese and Japanese streets in the US and Europe, says Vietnamese streets like those inside Europe will help the world understand more about Vietnamese potential.

Apart from Thoi Dai village, the Vietnamese Business Association in Kharkov has recently established a Nora Joint Stock Company whose largest Asian restaurant in Kharkov presents different traditional dishes of Vietnam and some other regional countries.

Some other Vietnamese-owned restaurants are also famous, such as Huong Viet (Vietnamese flavour) and MoAnVi (Mon an Viet - Vietnamese food).

The Huong Viet restaurant provides eating and drinking services and supplies Vietnam’s dried foods, fresh food and vegetables.

The MoAnVi restaurant, located in downtown Kharkov, has introduced Vietnamese specialties to international guests for a long time.

The Vietnamese business community in Kharkov, including Thoi Dai village, has taken the lead in building Vietnamese trademarks overseas and serving as a link of friendship between Ukraine and Vietnam.

(VOV)