Ahoy, and greetings from Prague! My name is Alyssa and I will be describing our visit today to the Vietnamese neighborhood in the Southeast corner of Prague, known as Sapa. This community got its name from the snowy peaks of Sapa, Vietnam because the frosty winters in the Czech Republic reminded the Vietnamese diaspora of this region. We began by browsing the shops in the town and discussing the history of the first-generation Vietnamese people who came to Czechia. I was surprised to hear that many of the Vietnamese people who first came to Sapa made their living by selling goods out of shipping containers. We walked past the long row of rusty rectangular containers, which still stand as a valuable part of the community’s roots. We continued on to see the large shops where Czech businesses come to buy goods in bulk, such as clothes, food, and other supplies. Our helpful guide informed us that many local Vietnamese people work in accounting and business jobs in the many offices around the area. The long halls of clothing shops were also a clue for how important the selling and distribution of goods between the Czechs and Vietnamese is for both communities.

One of my favorite parts of the trip to Sapa was the food! We were able to stop at the local markets where a variety of fresh herbs, fruits, vegetables, and meats were being sold, along with many tasty snacks. Some of my peers bought food from the vendors and the shopkeepers, and I was anxious to try it. For lunch we ate at a large restaurant and were offered a six course meal. While in the shops, I learned about lychee, which is a spiny fruit with a sweet, juicy center. I saw that this fruit was listed on the menu as a tea, and I was glad that I tried it! It was so delicious along with the savory meal of pork, fish, beans, rice, and stir fry. After lunch, we were given a small cup of green tea. When I first tried it I thought it was very bitter, but our guide explained to us that it is a common practice to drink tea after a meal to help with digestion. Once we left the restaurant, we decided that we still had some room left and went for dessert. One of the vendors in the shops was selling different kinds of fried dough balls that were delicious. Then, we visited a bubble tea store and enjoyed a sweet treat after the long walk.

While on this trip, we discussed how living in the Czech Republic has impacted the identities of the Vietnamese community. We listened to a young woman who was born in the Czech Republic and whose parents came from Vietnam. She described how she was bullied in kindergarten and middle school for being the only Vietnamese student in her classroom among students who were predominantly white. She talked about how she began to have an identity crisis because she saw a rift between her Czech home and her Vietnamese heritage. Also, she projected that the children in her community with both Czech and Vietnamese parents may feel this disconnect even more as they will have to find where they fit in within the community. Our guide told us about several projects that their organization is working on to help the Vietnamese-Czech people who are feeling this crisis, such as a crisis line with translators and other programs that help children and teenagers get help and treatment from professionals. She also discussed the festivals and cultural events that are aimed at uniting these two communities and educating people about the people living in Sapa.