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[Source<\/a>]<\/p>\n Tung Nguyen, a Vietnamese-born man who moved to Chernihiv to join his parents when he turned 18, returned to the frontlines to defend his resident country from the Russian invasion despite being injured twice in the line of duty. Tung, who studied in Kyiv and worked as a fitness trainer and bodybuilder, received citizenship after winning the all-Ukraine championship in 2019.<\/p>\n Defending his homeland:<\/strong> \u201cUkraine gave me a lot \u2013 I studied here, worked here, I married a Ukrainian. I can\u2019t even say it\u2019s my second homeland at this point, it\u2019s just my homeland,\u201d Tung, who started as a volunteer delivering food and medicine to Chernihiv before enlisting in the Ukrainian army, told The Guardian<\/a>. \u201cBefore the start of full-scale war, I didn\u2019t know many Vietnamese people, but now they support me a lot. Lots of Vietnamese people wrote me messages of support, people brought food to the hospital,\u201d he added, referencing how the community rallied behind him after he was injured in battle in May 2023 and December 2023.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n They were unprepared:<\/strong> Many of the 100,000 Vietnamese people living in Ukraine were reportedly caught off guard when Russia began its invasion in February 2022. A Vietnamese citizen living in Kharkiv, where one of Ukraine\u2019s largest Vietnamese enclaves resides, recalled to Radio Free Asia\u2019s<\/a> Vietnamese Service at the time how Ambassador Nguyen Hong Thach reassured them that a war between Ukraine and Russia would not occur, as the embassy was closely monitoring the situation. \u201cThe Vietnamese government\u2019s efforts to protect its citizens here are really slow and ineffective,\u201d the person said.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Download the NextShark App:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n