Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong

Many of the Vietnamese people in Hong Kong immigrated as a result of the Vietnam War and persecution since the mid-1970s.

Backed by a humanitarian policy of the Hong Kong Government, and under the auspices of the United Nations, some Vietnamese were permitted to settle in Hong Kong.

The illegal entry of Vietnamese refugees was a problem which plagued the Government of Hong Kong for 25 years. The problem was only resolved in 2000. Between 1975 and 1999, 143,700 Vietnamese refugees were resettled in other countries and more than 67,000 Vietnamese migrants were repatriated.

The Vietnamese community in Hong Kong today falls into two major categories: those who came as refugees and ended up staying and integrating into the local community, and those who have arrived in Hong Kong via a third country due to either their work or personal circumstances. This second group, although small, is a growing community. Many of the Vietnamese living in Hong Kong have Chinese ancestry, making integration easier.

After the Vietnam War ended in 1975, Vietcong forces reunited the northern and southern halves of the country, many people began to flee out of fear of the new Communist Government. Many refugees fled across the border into Thailand, whilst others headed by boat to nearby countries, initially Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Hong Kong.

Hong Kong received its first wave of Vietnamese refugees on 4 May 1975. A 3,743-strong refugee group was found arriving on board the Danish freighter Clara Mærsk and were accepted as refugees. Although the Hong Kong Government declared them "illegal immigrants", this arrival marked the start of a wave of refugee migrations to Hong Kong. Initially, Western governments shirked responsibility for resettling any refugees. In 1976, the Hong Kong Government applied to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) for material aid and faster processing of resettlement requests. One year later, this first group of refugees, who had been under the responsibility of the Civil Aid Service, were entirely resettled in the United States, France, Germany, Australia, and Hong Kong.

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