‘Changes take time’: In Sunshine, a grocer reopens, but hearts are still broken

It’s an overcast public holiday morning, and the stores along Sunshine’s Hampshire Road are slowly coming to life.

Roller doors are rattling open, and shoppers are walking with empty baskets. A group of older men sit outside drinking coffee. Customers leave a bakery clutching fresh banh mi.

For Hong Hung Asian Grocery, it’s the first day of trade in almost two months.

In August, owner Van Viet Truong died following injuries sustained in an alleged assault by a group of children on Hampshire Road. He was stepping in to stop a robbery at a neighbouring business, police say.

The death devastated the Sunshine community, prompting a wave of calls for more policing, better security measures and increased safety along the strip.

Details of the grocery reopening were shared on suburb social media pages and throughout local Vietnamese groups. Posts urged the community to band together and support a business that “was built on hard work, kindness and dedication”.

“If you’re in the area, please pop in, say hello and show them some love. Buy a few groceries, share the word, or simply offer some encouragement,” one Facebook post said.

“There is life after loss. There is hope after difficult times. And sometimes continuing what someone started is one of the most beautiful ways we can honour them.”

Kien and Demi, who did not wish to give their last name, were walking along Hampshire Road with their two young daughters and full shopping bags on Friday morning.

The family buy their groceries from this street every week. They were sitting across the road when Truong was assaulted last month.

“That’s why we feel connected, personally … We just want to support the shop owner,” Kien says.

The pair thought it was particularly important to visit Hong Hung Grocery today. They say many visitors have been sharing words of support and encouragement with Truong’s wife inside the store.

Kien says there has been anger and frustration within the community since Truong’s death.

“I just hope the government changes the law. Toughens the law up. They’ve done nothing so far,” Kien says. “I think it’s just reactive. We need to be more proactive.”

Business owner Cuong Nguyen agrees that more needs to be done to support traders and protect safety in Sunshine.

“After the incident, everyone was feeling sad and wondering why things happen … I think that’s why the community – the Vietnamese community – banded together to try and focus on law and preventing crime.”

Nguyen says that increased funding from council has allowed for improved security measures like additional lighting and CCTV cameras. The state government has also rostered additional police patrols in the area.

But despite some safety improvements in the suburb, Nguyen says there is still a strong desire for legislative change.

“You have to face the consequences of your actions … It’s not just one person passing away, but their family suffers as well. Their whole career, their whole business, everything turns upside down,” Nguyen says.

Local frustrations were aired last month at a rally on August 9, where community members banded together following Truong’s death.

Attendees wore white T-shirts and held signs reading “stronger laws, safer communities” and “murder must be prosecuted”. A memorial was held out the front of Hong Hung Grocery.

While local friends Jeong and Peter weren’t at the rally, they understand why people within their community were advocating so passionately. Walking two dogs along Hampshire Road on Friday morning, the pair say the community has grown more “paranoid” since the assault last month.

Jeong points out two spots in walking distance where she says separate altercations happened on the same night about a week ago.

“I was literally walking home, and there were two separate fights … it was so unsafe,” she says.

While Peter might once have felt comfortable intervening in such circumstances, he says it now feels safer to remain a bystander.

“I think we used to help each other, but now everyone’s too scared to even interact any more … If we interfere, we might get hurt.”

Brimbank City Council is well aware of these sentiments within the community. Mayor Virginia Tachos says the council had been regularly checking in with traders, and has heard their concerns regarding safety and wellbeing.

Brimbank is launching an initiative called “Love Sunshine” next Tuesday, which will encourage locals and visitors to spend time in the suburb and support businesses on Hampshire Road.

“The reopening of Viet’s family’s store is a ray of light after what has been a very dark and distressing time for Sunshine and the wider Brimbank community,” Tachos says.

“Sunshine is an incredible place, and we want people to come and experience it for themselves. Our message is simple – Sunshine is open, welcoming and ready to be explored.”

Sitting in a booth at Pho Hien Saigon – the restaurant he has owned for two decades – Nguyen says he is unsure whether he should be optimistic about the future of his community.

Nguyen knew Truong – every local did – because the restaurant sources some of its supplies from Hong Hung Asian Grocery.

In fact, all of his produce comes from along Hampshire Road, and he says that other business owners support him in return by coming and buying a meal.

It is circular support like this that makes the community so unique and tight-knit, Nguyen says. He just hopes the dynamic can be preserved.

“A lot of the business owners here, they’ve been here for a very long time. Most of them are business owners, tenants, landlords. So they have an interest to make Sunshine better,” Ngyuen said.

“Changes takes time … Sunshine has always had a bad name. But hopefully council can change that.”

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