Cultural ambassador between Taiwan and Vietnam / 中、越 文化大使
Cultural ambassador between Taiwan and Vietnam
Text & Photos by Ya-Ting Hou
Vietnamese born, Ms. Ruan Su-Chen, has a gentle and friendly personality which makes meeting her for the first time feel as though you are catching up with an old friend.
In Vietnam, Ms. Ruan started learning Chinese to help her family business and now she speaks the language fluently. Since living in Kaohsiung for the past eight years, Ms. Ruan feels that the citizens of Kaohsiung are very friendly. She also believes strongly that speaking Chinese well is the key to fitting in with the locals. Therefore, although she is very busy as a full-time house wife, she still makes time to help her Vietnamese friends to learn Chinese.
Ms. Ruan is good at cooking Vietnamese cuisine, which is known for using simple ingredients to create delicate and refreshing flavors. Vietnamese Rice Noodles and Papaya Salad are two of her most popular dishes that friends and relatives continually request recipes for. However, wontons, salted fried chicken, and "Lu-Wei" (food cooked in a soy sauce base and other ingredients) are her favorite Taiwanese snacks.
Besides cooking and exchanging recipes, Ms. Ruan is devoted to carefully planning her children's education. Combining both Vietnamese and Taiwanese culture, her children are growing up in an environment which requires them to use both languages. Ms. Ruan also plans to take her children to Vietnam when they grow up, so that they can visit their relatives and experience the "true" Vietnamese culture. Ms. Ruan's favorite place for walking is "Neiweipi Cultural Park" which she visits in her spare time. Not only is the Museum of Fine Arts for kids located there, but also an abundant ecological area which makes people feel great when strolling around. "Urban Spotlight" and Love River are also amongst her favorite places. However, she also takes her children to do different activities on the weekend, such as roller skating, cycling, playing badminton, and hiking at Chaishan.
中、越 文化大使
文、攝影／侯雅婷 來自越南的台灣媳婦阮素貞，有著南國女子溫柔婉約的特質，親切的她讓初見面的新朋友，都能感到有如老朋友般的自在與舒適。 說得一口流利中文，在越南時因為家裏經商，需要以中文與客戶溝通，進而開始學習中文。定居高雄８年，阮素貞談起在高雄的生活經驗，感受到高雄人的親切，也肯定地表示，學好中文是融入高雄生活重要的關鍵，因此儘管平日全職家庭主婦的工作讓她相當忙碌，熱心的她，仍會抽空陪著不熟悉中文的越南朋友勤加練習中文。 擅於烹飪越南菜的她也讓台灣朋友有機會一窺越南美食文化細膩而精緻的一面，越南美食從平實無華的食材中創造出不同於中華料理般的清爽口感，也讓台灣的親朋好友都感到讚賞不已，並紛紛打探食譜，越南河粉與涼拌木瓜是最受親友們喜愛的越南家常菜；在眾多美味的台灣小吃之中，餛飩、鹽酥雞和滷味是她的最喜愛。 除了在美食文化上的交流，阮素貞也細心規劃孩子們的教育，結合來自於自己的「越南文化」以及先生的「台灣文化」，讓小朋友從小就生活在越南語與中文併用的環境之中，並計劃等孩子們長大一些，利用寒暑假的時間，回越南去探親並體驗越南的文化，以豐富的多元文化來蘊育下一代。空閒時，「內惟埤文化園區」是阮素貞眼中最舒適的散步環境，除了可以讓小朋友接觸到美術館多樣性的藝術，園區內綠意盎然的豐富生態更讓人感到心曠神怡；城市光廊跟愛河也是她相當喜愛的地方，假日時則安排多樣化的休閒運動，比如帶著小朋友去溜冰、騎腳踏車、打羽球和爬柴山。
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