as a term of greeting, similar to sawasdee in Thai. The phrase eventually became a metaphor for Vietnamese people and even Vietnamese culture. The term is now considered to be a derogatory slur for Vietnamese people. Portrayal in Hong Kong Media Early portrayal The first recorded instance of the usage of "Bắt đầu từ nay" in Hong Kong entertainment programmes was during the 1980s, when it was used in a segment of the light entertainment show Enjoy Yourself Tonight. In the segment, a fight in the refugee camp was parodied, and two actors, using the stage names "Bắt đầu" and "Từ nay", roughed up one of the audience (played by an actor) in the "Legislative Council" meeting who was well known for creating commotions during Legislative Council meetings. 1990s During the 1990s, some asylum seekers managed to use self-made tools to cut through the fence around the refugee camps and escaped. This incident was replayed on RTHK's news parody programme Headliner. In the video, the phrase was split into the following Bắt đầu? (不漏?) (phonetically close to "but lau", which means "leakless?", a reference to the supposedly high security measures in the refugee camp) từ! (洞!) (phonetically close to "dong", which means "hole!", a reference to the holes that were cut and used as escape routes). nay! (拉!) (phonetically close to "lai", which means "arrested!", a reference to the eventual arrest of the escapees). 2000s In the 2000s, Vietnamese cuisine became popular in Hong Kong, and the phrase, which had faded out of memory after the resolution of the refugee problem, resurfaced in an advertising campaign for a Vietnamese restaurant. 2010s The phrase was used at least twice during the 2010s on books. 2010 travel book on Vietnam used the phrase in its title. A Hong Kong émigrée to Canada used the phrase in her 2017 book on Vietnamese boat people, titled bắt đầu từ nay: The Boat People Saga. See also Comprehensive Plan of Action Vietnamese people in Hong Kong Soramimi References External links A recording of the actual "Bắt đầu từ nay" announcement that was broadcast on RTHK Mass media in Hong Kong History of Hong Kong Vietnamese diaspora Vietnamese refugees Cantonese words and phrases