Suong Ngoc Thi Doan

I don’t feel foreign in Denmark. I feel at home. It’s my country, and this is where I want to spend my last years with my husband. It has certainly not been easy all the time. It was difficult for me to establish myself, and I worked in various jobs for the first few years. But I got the help and advice I needed, and I am very grateful that I got the opportunity to be education as a tailor in Denmark. For 20 years I have had my own shops in Silkeborg and Viborg; now I only have the store in Silkeborg. I need to think more about myself and gear down.

I fled Vietnam for the sake of my future, because I didn’t have any opportunities. I have been raised to get an education and to create a future for yourself, and you can do that in Denmark, if you really want to. For me, it was important to pave the way for my children. To give them opportunities to have a good future and I succeeded.

But it’s also about passing on values. My husband and I are Danish citizens and our children are born as Danish citizens. I’m happy about Danish values, but they also have to be take care of. We so have freedom of speech, but it is a freedom that needs to be used with respect.

From my childhood, I remember the love and helpfulness of people in my village. These are good values, and for me it is important that we stick to the good tone and respect for each other. That is the Denmark I love.

61 / female / married / children / tailor / Silkeborg / from Vietnam / came to Denmark in 1985 / residence permit same year