September 8 is newly designated as Vietnamese Language Honor Day for the Vietnamese diaspora.
As a Vietnamese Canadian and mama of a bilingual child, this day holds a special meaning to me. Maintaining the language, teaching my child, and introducing VietCan bilingual online bookstore to Vietnamese families in North America has been a swim against the currents.
My identity as a Certified Professional Accountant (CPA) is seldomly mentioned, as the connection is not readily apparent. I'm honored to be recognized by CPA Alberta in their Capitalize magazine as a CPA who also lives a double life of bridging language and culture gaps for Vietnamese-English bilingual families. Capitalize magazine is produced by CPA Alberta to introduce students and career counseling centers to the accounting profession.
Today marks the first year of an official day to honor the beauty and value of the Vietnamese language designated for Vietnamese communities overseas. With additional recognition, resources and initiatives to enable families to bring their children closer to Vietnamese roots - I hope to see our bilingual children continue to thrive and delight us with their bilingualism.