Vietnamese Boat People Monument

Vietnamese Boat People Monument by Vi Vi Vo Hung Kiet is one of over 35 public artworks on display across the City of Mississauga.

Bronze statue of a woman holding a child, and a man with his hand outstretched. A bird carrying a leaf sits on his hand. All three figures stand on a boat.

Vi Vi Vo Hung Kiet, 2019
Bronze and granite
Burnhamthorpe Library

About the artwork

The Vietnamese Boat People Monument was built for and donated to the City of Mississauga to commemorate the exodus of more than one million Vietnamese refugees, who escaped the communist regime following the fall of the Republic of Vietnam in 1975.

From 1975 to 1980, Canada admitted over 55,000 Vietnamese refugees known as the “Boat People”, many of whom settled in Mississauga. The monument commemorates the refugees who lost their lives in their quest for freedom, honours Canada’s role in welcoming the Boat People, and supports Mississauga’s unique heritage and diversity. It stands as a lasting and meaningful community space for commemoration, education and reflection.

Gallery

More information

The monument was built for and donated to the City of Mississauga as an offering of gratitude to Canada by the Vietnamese-Canadian community and the Vietnamese Boat People Memorial Association (VBPMA).

For five years, VBPMA worked with the City to fundraise, advocate, commission, design, fabricate, install, and unveil the monument. The organization raised over $350,000 from hundreds of Vietnamese-Canadians in Mississauga and surrounding regions.