ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the case of the Vietnamese refugees who began to arrive in the United Kingdom some 20 years ago. Though the community has a distinct social and cultural background of its own, most adults continue to experience difficulties in adjusting to life in the UK, whereas young people are found to be increasingly westernised. A recent survey undertaken by the Centre for Chinese Studies at South Bank University shows that the mother-tongue competency among the younger generation is now diminishing with the result that many adults are now experiencing difficulties when communicating with their children and/or grandchildren. Elderly Vietnamese are thus alienated not just from the host population because of cultural and language barriers, but also from their younger relatives. The survey also shows, however, that mother-tongue education has been a major lifeline helping to maintain the refugees’ linguistic legacy and to some extent, their traditional values. These findings are significant and are likely to have implications for refugee settlement policies. With the language and cultural gap becoming ever wider between young people and their immigrant parents, the need to adopt a more positive approach backed by solid policies in the provision of mother-tongue education in contemporary Britain is more obvious than ever before.
