New park and monument will honour Calgary's Vietnamese 'boat people'

A new park and monument that will be built at the gateway to International Avenue in southeast Calgary will honour the journey of thousands of Vietnamese immigrants.

More than a million refugees fled Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos in the years following the Vietnam War in the late 1970sand early 1980s, attempting to cross the ocean in small, overcrowded boats. Many found a new home in Calgary through private sponsorships. Others never made it.

Now the city's Vietnamese community, including many descendents of those original families,want to mark those journeys and lives with a new park space for all Calgarians to enjoy.

"This project is really a dream for Vietnamese Calgarians," said Anne-Marie Pham with the Calgary Vietnamese Canadian Association.

"We know have a great community in Calgary and the idea came for us to create a monument and park to thank Canada, to thank Calgarians who welcomed us."

Pham says she hopes the park can be a place of reflection and relaxation for all Calgarians.

"It will have a gateway feature, memorial walls, sitting areas, landscaping and also a viewpoint lookout to downtown," said Pham.

The privately funded 1100-square metre park will be built where 17th AvenueS.E. meets 26th Street S.E. as a collaboration between the Vietnamese Boat People Monument Committee, International Avenue BRZ and the Greater Forest Lawn Communities.

"It's really about leaving a legacy, a piece of history about their arduous journey and to celebrate the story of immigrants, which is relatable to so many Canadians," Pham said. "Also, settling into a new country and succeeding, giving back."

Pham said it's also a reminder for new generations of Canadians.

"I think it's going to be an absolutely wonderful park," said Alison Karim-McSwiney, executive director of the International Avenue BRZ."It's going to have the most incredible history but also it's going to have incredible views and I think it's going to be a place where people can really learn a lot about Vietnamese culture."

Karim-McSwiney saidthe park will be a good complement to everything else going on along 17th Avenue S.E., the busy strip packed with ethnic eateries and stores from all corners of the world.

Asurvey is available in both English and Vietnamese to get feedback from the community on what they'd like the park to look and feel like.

The survey can be foundon the International Avenue BRZ website.

The park could be open by April 2022.