Vietnamese-Australian voters are sure to keep a close eye on who wins the Victoria state election on November 24.
The result will determine whether funding for a project to build Australia's first Vietnamese Cultural Museum in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray is secured.
In October, Premier Daniel Andrews allocated $750,000 towards the project and pledged a further $1.8 million if he's re-elected.
However, a commitment to match the premier has not been made by Victoria Coalition leader Matthew Guy.
Vivienne Nguyen, President of the Victorian chapter of the Vietnamese Community in Australia, said her organisation had been in talks with the Coalition about the project, but "efforts would need to be made" to secure the funds required.
"I imagine that if the Coalition is to win the government, then there will be work for us to do," Ms Nguyen told SBS Vietnamese.
"But I don't expect a Coalition government not to support the project. Matthew Guy, when he was the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, provided the funding for the Saigon Welcome Arch, in the heart of Footscray, which is 100m from the site of the proposed museum."
Greens spokesperson for Multiculturalism Huong Truong believes the museum will be built whether Mr Andrews is re-elected or not.
The Saigon Welcome Arch in the heart of Footscray Source: Maribyrnong Council
"Our Vietnamese-Australian community knows how to get things that matter done as our younger generations look to preserve and honour the struggles of our older people who risked everything for freedom and democracy," Ms Truong told SBS Vietnamese.
"Building this museum is all the more important now because a lot of our older people are in their 80s and 90s, whilst we've already lost many others."
State Greens MP Huong Truong Source: AAP
'Better late than never'
The proposal comes ahead of the 50th anniversary of the settlement of Vietnamese refugees in Australia in 2025.
Ms Nguyen said efforts to build the museum dated back to the early 2000s.
Since then, the organisation signed a memorandum of understanding with Maribyrnong Council to secure the land for the museum and has also hired a firm to produce artist impressions for the construction.
"The proposal is very important for the Vietnamese community for a number of reasons, particularly from the community that fled the regime they didn't support during and after the Vietnam War," Ms Nguyen said.
"It's significant, not only to Vietnamese people but also in Australia's history, particularly with the contemporary history and in the context of multiculturalism."
Ms Truong, whose parents fled to Australia following the Vietnam War, said the museum would offer Vietnamese people of all generations a space to reflect.
"Vietnamese language and culture is strong within our Vietnamese-Australian community. It is a testament to the strength of Victoria's multiculturalism and to the strength of a community who come from a long history of colonial rule, displacement and civil war," she said.
"There is much misunderstanding and untold complexity about the Vietnam War, and I know Vietnamese-Australians from across the generations, including our young people, are ready to reflect on this together."
The office of Matthew Guy was contacted for comment by SBS Vietnamese.
