MELBOURNE – The Vietnamese Community in Australia – Victorian chapter (VCA-VIC) has organised an event in the city of Melbourne to raise awareness of the mass fish deaths which occurred in Vietnam earlier this year.

The event called Vietnamese Environment Day was held at Federation Square from 12pm to 8pm on Saturday.

It included family friendly activities such as the drawing and colouring of fishes, a music concert with both Vietnamese and English performances and a vigil to commemorate the injustice and hurt experienced by those affected.

Cammy Lu, who is a member of the Victorian chapter of the Vietnamese Community in Australia, helped to emcee the event.

She says there’s a special reason as to why the association chose to hold the Vietnamese Environment Day in the heart of the city.

“The reason why we’re holding the Vietnamese Environmental Day today in Melbourne, which seemingly has nothing to do with Vietnam, is because we would like the Vietnamese community here to band together to support the Vietnamese in Vietnam.

“The other side of it is to raise awareness about the issue for Australians and to let them know that this is not a single issue that affects only the people of Vietnam, but also Australians and people of the world as well,” she said.

Dead fish and other marine life began washing up on Vietnam’s central coast in April.

After weeks of clouding, Vietnam’s communist government laid the blame on a subsidiary of Taiwan’s steel plant Formosa Plastics for dumping toxic waste that caused the mass fish deaths decimated the local seafood industry.

Formosa Ha Tinh Steel admitted in June that it was responsible for the environmental disaster and pledged to pay $US500 million in compensation.

Phong Nguyen, vice-president of the Vietnamese community in Australia – Victorian chapters speaks on state at Federation Square, Melbourne, Australia October 29, 2016. (Photo: TiVi Tuan-san)

Vice-president of VCA’s Victorian chapter, Phong Nguyen, says he has not been able to contact officials in Vietnam about the case.

“They wouldn’t talk to us,” he said. “In fact, they deny the situation in Vietnam is that serious and in fact the reality in Vietnam is totally different.”

“That’s why we want to be the voice of the people who have no voice in Vietnam today.”

Mr Nguyen also added that no compensation or remedial work has been done since April.

But state member for the western metropolitan region, Bernie Finn, says he believes Vietnamese officials are aware of public concern from other countries.

“I think that you’ll find that the Vietnamese government are very aware of what’s happening in Australia.

“Whenever the Vietnamese community gathers, whenever we all gather together on this subject or any other, they are most certainly taking notice.

“These sorts of gatherings are very, very important to get the message to other Australians but also to the Vietnamese government – there’s a lot of people around the world that are very, very upset.”

Singers Donna Tran-Walker (L) and Hieu Huynh (R) talk to TVTS about Vietnam’s environmental disaster in which tens-of-millions of fish died along Vietnam’s central coast in April. Picture taken on October 29, 2016. (Photo: TiVi Tuan-san)

Singer Hieu Huynh says he hopes the issue can be resolved quickly.

“Ultimately we want Vietnam to be preserved for the future generations and especially us, so we can connect back to our roots and see our beautiful motherland.

“Hopefully they can find a solution.”

Singer Donna Tran-Walker agreed, saying she wants the best for people in Vietnam.

“There’s a lot of things going on in Vietnam that are out of our control but this is what we want for the young generation of Vietnam and we’re hoping for the best for them.”

VCA’s Victorian chapter vice-president Phong Nguyen has also urged the Australian government to ensure the import of fish from Vietnam is safe for consumers.

“I think that it’s important that we raise the awareness among our governments in Australia  – in Victoria, in our national government, to do something.

“At least to check and make sure that contaminated foods, dangerous foods that’s including toxic chemicals like cyanide and fennel to be imported in Australia.”

– TiVi Tuan-san