Little Saigon
Little Saigon Vietnamtown | |
Vietnamese alphabet | Tiểu Sài Gòn Sài Gòn nhỏ Phố người Việt Khu phố Việt Nam |
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Little Saigon (
The most well-established and largest Vietnamese-American enclaves, not all of which are called Little Saigon, are in
Additionally, Vietnamese-Americans and Vietnamese-Canadians also established businesses and bringing distinctively Vietnamese elements to most
Locations in America
California
An intercity bus service named Xe Đò Hoàng connects the Little Saigon in Orange county to the one in San Jose and various other cities in California and Arizona with high concentration of Vietnamese Americans.[2]
Orange County
The oldest, largest, and most prominent Little Saigon is centered in
About 45 miles (72 km) south of Los Angeles,
.In Orange County, Little Saigon is now a wide, spread-out community dotted with myriad suburban-style strip malls containing a mixture of Vietnamese and Chinese-Vietnamese businesses. It is located southwest of
Westminster is generally considered the main cultural center of the Vietnamese American community with several Vietnamese-language television stations, radio stations, and newspapers originating from Little Saigon and adjacent areas. At least one radio station broadcast 24 hours a day in Vietnamese and 4 television substations broadcasting in Vietnamese 24 hours a day as of 2009, and several newspapers serve the Vietnamese-American community. Little Saigon has also emerged as the prominent center of the Vietnamese pop music industry with several recording studios, and with a recording industry many times larger than in Vietnam itself.[4] Vietnamese music recorded in Westminster are distributed and sold in Vietnamese communities throughout the United States and in Australia, France, and Germany as well as illegally in Vietnam.[5]
Garden Grove Park is the location of an annual Vietnamese Lunar New Year festival held in late January - early February known as Tết. Small amusement park rides, dances, and contests are held in Garden Grove Park which is across the street from Bolsa Grande High School grounds and is hosted by the Union of Vietnamese Student Association (UVSA). Since 2013, the annual festival has been relocated to the OC Fair Grounds in Costa Mesa.
The Vietnamese American population has now begun to diffuse from Little Saigon to traditionally working-class Hispanic cities, such as Santa Ana, and southward to professional middle-class predominantly white cities such as Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Irvine, and Orange. Over the years, the vibrant community of Little Saigon has experienced frequent openings and closures of small mom-and-pop Vietnamese businesses, resulting in sights of some abandoned strip plazas. The changing landscape of the Vietnamese American population would bring a more multicultural flavor to Orange County, but as with Chinatowns, could potentially eliminate its identity as a "Little Saigon" as the population of foreign-born Vietnamese old-timers declines and more younger generations of Vietnamese American families attune to mainstream American culture (especially with a preference for fashionable malls over the Vietnamese ethnic malls in Little Saigon) and move on to affluent communities further away from the Little Saigon area.
San Diego
When the "first wave" of Vietnamese immigrants started to arrive in 1981, many settled in the communities adjacent to San Diego State University, such as City Heights and Talmadge, better known as East San Diego. As families and individuals became more affluent however, many relocated to other communities in the city: Linda Vista, Clairemont, Serra Mesa, etc. (Central San Diego) and what was then brand-new tract communities such as Mira Mesa,
With a population of about 50,000, the San Diego metropolitan area ranks as one of the largest Vietnamese communities in the United States. Because of the Vietnamese population's unique migration patterns in the city, it does not have a huge concentration of Vietnamese businesses in a particular area like other metropolitan areas (e.g., Westminster, San Jose, Houston, etc.) Still, there are three notable Vietnamese business districts in the San Diego region: Mira Mesa Boulevard (North San Diego), El Cajon Boulevard (East San Diego), and Convoy Street/Linda Vista Road (Central San Diego).
The area on El Cajon Boulevard in East San Diego will be getting official City of San Diego status as "Little Saigon San Diego", as referenced on the web page littlesaigonsandiego.org.
On June 4, 2013, City Council approved Little Saigon Cultural and Commercial District in City Heights, San Diego, which is a six-block section of El Cajon Boulevard from Euclid to Highland avenues.[6] On February 1, 2019, Little Saigon signs were revealed to be installed on Interstate 15.[7][8][9]
San Gabriel Valley
Due to the large influx and presence of relatively poor ethnic Chinese refugees from Vietnam in the 1980s (which also coincided with the arrival of immigrant elites from Taiwan and Hong Kong), the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles has another important concentration of Vietnamese in Southern California. While not generally referred to as "Little Saigon", the stretch of Garvey Avenue in the working-class barrios of Rosemead, South El Monte, and El Monte have a relatively heavy but scattered collection of businesses owned mainly by majority ethnic Chinese Vietnamese with a growing number of ethnic Vietnamese residents and business owners as well. Many of these businesses are housed in tiny strip malls while others occupy freestanding, aging buildings. These Vietnamese businesses are very gradually replacing businesses owned by Hispanics.
Rosemead is the Vietnamese center of the San Gabriel Valley. One particular shopping center in Rosemead, called Diamond Square, is anchored by the
It remains a major hub for working-class Vietnamese and Mainland Chinese expatriates residing in the area. Many Vietnamese of ethnic Chinese origin also tend to own various businesses - especially supermarkets, restaurants, beauty parlors, and auto repair shops - in the main general mixed-Chinese commercial thoroughfares of Garvey Avenue in Monterey Park, California and Valley Boulevard in Alhambra, California, San Gabriel, California, and Rosemead. There are already several phở and bánh mì eateries represented along Valley Boulevard.
The
In 2005, John Tran became the first Vietnamese American to be elected to a seat on the city council of Rosemead. Since 2006, he has been the mayor of the city, a position that is held by rotation among the council members.
San Jose
Comprising over 180,000 residents, about 10.6% of the population, (as of the 2010 U.S. Census)
The epicenter of the Vietnamese-American community of San Jose, however, is on Story Road (stretching from Senter Road to McLaughlin Avenue), home to the popular Grand Century Mall and Vietnam Town (both shopping malls are owned by Chinese-Vietnamese real estate developer Lap Tang) and is officially designated by the San Jose City Council as "Little Saigon". Like its counterpart in Orange County, a freeway offramp sign was placed in 2013 on Highway 101 and Freeway 280, designating the Story Road (from Highway 101) and McLaughlin Avenue (from Freeway 280) exits to Little Saigon.
The Vietnamese community of San Jose has been politically divided over the naming of the business district, with various groups favoring "Little Saigon", "New Saigon", and "Vietnamese Business District". Non-Vietnamese businesses and residents, as well as the San Jose Hispanic Chamber of Commerce have also opposed the name "Little Saigon". In November 2007, the San Jose City Council voted 8–3 to choose the compromise name "Saigon Business District", resulting in ongoing protest, debate, and an effort to recall city council member Madison Nguyen, who proposed the name "Saigon Business District". On March 4, 2008, after a public meeting in which more than 1000 "Little Saigon" supporters participated, the city council voted 11–1 to rescind the name "Saigon Business District", but stopped short of renaming it. The recall of Nguyen failed in March 2009.
San Jose also granted the building of the Viet Museum in Kelley Park next to the City Historic Museum.[11] The Viet Museum had its grand opening August 25, 2007.
Sacramento
With a large and growing Vietnamese American population, in February 2010, a stretch of Stockton Boulevard in
San Francisco
In early 2004,
Oakland
The region stretching from 1st Avenue to 23rd Avenue in
In 2019, local business owners lobbied for the formal city recognition of the area as “Little Saigon” and began working on a proposal for the creation of a
The Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce organizes the annual
In the summer of 2021, the Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce, along with
Elsewhere
Large concentrations of Vietnamese live in Central districts of
Colorado
A growing Vietnamese commercial district has emerged on Federal Boulevard between the Far East Center shopping complex between West Alameda and West Mississippi Avenues in
Florida
A thriving Vietnamese quarter called "Little Saigon" exists in the Colonialtown district of Orlando, Florida. The neighborhood has become a landmark in the city of Orlando and consists of a growing number of restaurants, groceries, and Vietnamese professional offices that serve the local Vietnamese community with everything from taxes to medical and dental care. Stores supply Asian pop culture to the community in the form of karaoke bars, bubble tea shops, Vietnamese video and music shops, and stores featuring candies and collectibles from across Asia. The heart of the district is the intersection of East Colonial Drive / Highway 50 and Mills Avenue, also known as the "Vi-Mi" district.
The Orlando Vietnamese community has its roots in war refugees seeking a new life in America after the fall of Saigon. Notable pro-democracy activists, such as Thuong Nguyen Foshee, who was just recently released from prison in Vietnam, call Orlando their home.
The Vietnamese Community in Orlando, along with institutions like Chua Bao An , St. Philip Phan Van Minh Church, Vietnamese Baptist Church, and groups such as The Vietnamese Association of Central Florida, strive to maintain their heritage as well as share their culture with the rest of Orlando. Annual events, such as the numerous Tet New Year Celebrations at the Central Florida Fairgrounds and across the city, help spread Vietnamese culture and promote diversity throughout Orlando.
Georgia
There are many Vietnamese businesses located in the mixed-Asian – that is, co-existing with ethnic Korean and Chinese businesses – commercial and cultural strip of Buford Highway in Doraville and Chamblee, which are working-class suburbs in DeKalb County north of Atlanta. Although a fair number of post-war Vietnamese refugees settled in Atlanta earlier, many Vietnamese Americans from California and other parts of the United States have been relocating into the Atlanta area to establish a fairly large presence since the 1990s. Metropolitan Atlanta is home to one of the fastest-growing Vietnamese populations in the world.
Gulf Coast
It is estimated that there are 40,000 Vietnamese-Americans in the Gulf Coast, and 1 in every 4 fishermen from the area is Vietnamese-American.[citation needed]
Alabama
Vietnamese-Americans make up one-third of the population in the fishing hamlet of
Louisiana
Louisiana is home to many Vietnamese, many of whom especially engaged in traditional fishing. Both Louisiana and Vietnam had been
There is a Vietnamese business section in
In 2008,
Mississippi
A small "Little Saigon" can be found on Oak Street in Biloxi. Many Vietnamese-Americans relocated to southern Mississippi due to the similar environment and industry they were accustomed to back in Vietnam. The Vietnamese-American labor force in this area is usually spread between the fishing, gambling, and shipbuilding industries.
Illinois
Kentucky
Massachusetts
The "X" in Springfield is a magnet for Vietnamese businesses and the locus of Vietnamese settlement in western Massachusetts, including restaurants, businesses and a Vietnamese community center.
Missouri
Kansas City is home to more than 10,000 Vietnamese immigrants. A sizable Vietnamese population along Independence Avenue & Garrison Square sprung up various businesses including phở restaurants, nail salons, hair salons, video gift stores, cell phone stores, pool halls and jewelry stores. One of the new "Little Saigons" can now be found on North Oak Trafficway in Kansas City Gladstone neighborhood.
Michigan
While not titled a "Little Saigon", the suburban community of
Besides Madison Heights, the Grand Rapids and Holland areas have a small Vietnamese enclave.
Inkster has a neighborhood known as "Little Saigon," though this is in reference to the Vietnam war and not Vietnamese people or culture. "Little Saigon" is a collection of housing projects along Inkster Road and Annapolis where bullet holes and boarded windows are common.
New Mexico
New York
New York City's unofficial "Little Saigon" Vietnamese community exists near the intersection of the Bowery and Grand Street. Although small compared with nearby Chinatown, the area is differentiated by the large presence of Vietnamese stores as compared with Chinese stores.[27]
North Carolina
In Charlotte, Central Avenue (near Briar Creek Road) is the original "Chinatown" consisting of "Saigon Square" and a pair of other Chinese/Vietnamese shopping plazas that include "Dim Sum Restaurant" (which serves New York-style dim sum), the "Eang Hong Supermarket", "Van Loi" (which serves cha shao), and a dozen or so other stores.
Saigon Square has various Vietnamese (albeit not Chinese) stores including Phở Hòa (Vietnamese noodles). Asian Corner Mall on North Tryon Street and Sugar Creek Road, developed from the defunct Tryon Mall in 1999, with "Dragon Court Restaurant", "Hong Kong BBQ", "International Supermarket", and "New Century Market" and several other Chinese/Vietnamese stores.
There are also areas in Greensboro where Vietnamese-run businesses (including stores and restaurants) are prevalent.
Oklahoma
Tens of thousands of Vietnamese refugees were relocated to Oklahoma City during the 1980s. Over time, they have established businesses in a gentrified area to the west of the Uptown NW 23rd and Classen Boulevard business districts and the area begun to be known as a Little Saigon.
The original Little Saigon area features numerous
The district is very popular with local residents and students from nearby
Oregon
10,641 Vietnamese Americans live in the Portland area. Many Vietnamese restaurants, markets, and other businesses in Portland can be found on NE Sandy Boulevard, SE Powell Boulevard, and NE and SE 82nd Avenue. There are also some Vietnamese business around the Portland area such as Beaverton, Hillsboro, Aloha, and Tigard.
Pennsylvania
South Philadelphia near the Italian Market has a large Vietnamese American population. Many Vietnamese businesses tucked in strip malls have emerged on Washington Avenue to service the local immigrant population. The Vietnamese sandwich bánh mì is gaining much attention in Philadelphia and is now competing with the Philly Cheesesteak.[citation needed]
As of 2005, Vietnamese are projected to become the largest ethnicity in South Philadelphia. Philadelphia is in the top ten U.S. cities for Vietnamese populations and Vietnamese immigration destinations. Philadelphia even has a higher percentage and numerical population of Vietnamese than New York City, one of the few Asian backgrounds that are actually less represented in New York.
Tennessee
Texas
Austin
Austin has a Chinatown Center composed mainly of Vietnamese business on North Lamar.
Houston
The Houston area is home to over 150,000 Vietnamese people. A section of
The largest Vietnamese commercial district is now found in
Since the Vietnamese District is adjacent to Houston's
Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW)
In addition to the ones listed here, several unofficial Little Saigons are located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Dallas is also considered another one of the largest Vietnamese communities in the United States, along with its sister city, Fort Worth.
- One Little Saigon is located in Garland, along Walnut Street between Audelia Road and Jupiter Road. This one is the largest, consisting of four large supermarkets (Hiep Thai, New Truong Nguyen, Hong Kong, and Thuan Phat at Cali Saigon Mall in Garland). Each supermarket listed below is located in a different shopping complex and has a number of restaurants.
- Hiep Thai: northeast corner of Jupiter and Walnut.
- New Truong Nguyen: northwest corner of Jupiter and Walnut.
- Hong Kong: southwest corner of Audelia and Walnut.
- Thuan Phat Supermarket/Cali Saigon Mall: northeast corner of Jupiter Road and Beltline Road (in Garland borders with city of Richardson)
- The restaurants in the area are Bistro B, La Me, Doan, Pho 95, Pho Bang, SaiGon Kitchen, Nam Hua, Saigon Block, Pho Tay Do, Pho Que Huong, Pho Bac, Pho Pasteur, Huong Ly (in Richardson), and many more.
- Another one is located in Arlington, on Pioneer Parkway. This Little Saigon includes a couple supermarkets (Saigon-Taipei, Hong Kong), restaurants, and Vietnamese karaoke/café bars.
- The third one is in Las Colinas and Valley Ranch. These restaurants are unique, infusing Korean, Japanese, Thai, Indian, and Chinese influences.
- There are also a number Vietnamese strip malls along Beltline in Carrollton. Though the area is predominantly Vietnamese, Chinese and Korean shops and churches can be found there, as well.
- Haltom City (on E Belknap Street) with many grocery stores, restaurants, and other stores.
Vietnamese businesses are also found in Richardson and Haltom City.[34]
Virginia
The Washington, D.C., suburb of Seven Corners in Fairfax County, Virginia, is now home to the largest Vietnamese American population and cultural center on the eastern seaboard. While there is no full-fledged "Little Saigon" to speak of, the most prominent hub for local-area Vietnamese is the shopping mall called the Eden Center, complete with a garden and an arch signifying its entrance.
In Greater Richmond, the concentration of Vietnamese restaurants and shops near the intersection of Horsepen Road and West Broad Street is sometimes referred to as Little Saigon. This area of Western Henrico has developed as a center for the Vietnamese population since the late 1980s.[36][37]
Washington
Seattle
Tacoma
Tacoma, as well, has an area commonly known as the "Lincoln International District", which is almost entirely filled with Vietnamese restaurants, grocers, and shops. Though officially not known as "Little Saigon", the area is normally referred to as such by the local resident population.
Canada
Toronto
Jane and Finch has a large Vietnamese population.
Vancouver
Vancouver and Richmond, British Columbia both have large Vietnamese populations, including in Vancouver's Chinatown.
Locations in Europe and Australia
Czech Republic
"Sapa", fully "TTTM Sapa", sometimes simply called "Prague's Hanoi," is a Vietnamese ethnic enclave, trading center, and market in Prague's Libuš and Kunratice districts.[38]
France
In southern France, a "Little Vietnam" in Sainte-Livrade-sur-Lot which housed 1,160 Vietnamese refugees in a refugee camp faces demolition after being in existence since 1956. The location has long been in neglect; 120 families still live in shacks, many of whom are third and fourth generations of people affected by World War II.[39]
In Paris, Vietnamese stores are concentrated in the 13th arrondissement and 5th arrondissement of Paris.
Germany
There is a large Vietnamese community in Germany, especially in former East Germany where the Vietnamese migrant workers first came in the 1970s. Berlin has the largest Vietnamese community with about 35,000 people of Vietnamese origin. Boroughs of Lichtenberg and Marzahn-Hellersdorf have the highest numbers of Vietnamese populations which were a part of East Berlin. The Dong Xuan Center in Lichtenberg is the largest Vietnamese market in Germany which offers many things from Vietnam including restaurants, shops, cafes and bars.[40] Other German cities like Leipzig, Chemnitz and Hanover have also well known Vietnamese communities.
Australia
In Melbourne the suburb of Footscray has a large proportion of Vietnamese-Australians, the CBD of Footscray is often nicknamed Little Saigon. Other Vietnamese communities are centered around Springvale Road in Springvale, Victoria Street in Richmond, and St Albans.
In
In Adelaide, Vietnamese businesses are concentrated around Woodville, in particular along Hanson Road.
See also
- Chinatown
- Japantown
- Koreatown
- List of U.S. cities with large Vietnamese American populations
- Oh, Saigon
- Overseas Vietnamese (Viet Kieu)
- Saigon
- South Vietnam
- Thien Hau Temple (Los Angeles)
- Vietnamese American
- Vietnamese Australian
- Vietnamese Canadian
References
- .
- ^ Lewinnek, Elaine; Arellano, Gustavo; Vo Dang, Thuy (2022). A People's Guide to Orange County. University of California Press. pp. 106–107.
- ^ Merrill Balassone (October 23, 2005). "The heart of Little Saigon beats strong". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 13, 2007.
- ^ Quyen Do (May 10, 2008). "A big Little Saigon Star". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
- ^ Andrew Vontz (February 19, 2006). "Hanoi Heart Throbs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 11, 2007.
- ^ "'Little Saigon' official in City Heights". June 4, 2013.
- ^ "Little Saigon to Get Cultural Landmark Sign on I-15 Freeway".
- ^ "Signs Point to Little Saigon District: Freeway Signs Recognize Vietnamese Cultural District".
- ^ "Vietnamese Community in City Heights Gets Little Saigon Sign off Interstate 15".
- ^ a b Cicero A. Estrella (February 16, 2004). "S.F.'s Little Saigon: Stretch of Larkin Street named for Vietnamese Americans". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 23, 2007.
- ^ Calitoday.com Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Stockton Boulevard Named 'Little Saigon'[permanent dead link]
- ^ Supes OK 'Little Saigon' For Sacramento[permanent dead link]
- ^ Commercial Real Estate Forum – CRE News
- ^ "Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce". Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- ^ Oakland North. UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- ^ Oakland North. UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- ^ "About Us". Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- ^ "Clinton Square Park". Oakland Wiki. LocalWiki. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- ^ "GOOD GOOD EATZ". East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- ^ Thapliyal, Adesh (August 5, 2021). "Back With Good Food and Pokémon Go". KQED. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- ^ "Little Saigon Business District designated as Vietnamese cultural area in west Denver". The Denver Post. February 18, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
- ^ "Housing Saigon". Retrieved June 15, 2023.
- ^ "Saint John Vianney". Archdiocese of Louisville. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ^ "'It's home now': Vietnamese community grows more vibrant in Louisville". whas11.com. May 24, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ^ "Culture & Heritage: Asian American". Visit Albuquerque. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
- ^ "Tiny Little Saigon in New York". November 5, 2009.
- ^ "ZipUSA: 73106 @ National Geographic Magazine". Magma.nationalgeographic.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2007. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
- New York Times. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
- ^ "Exit Vietnam: Photo shows Vietnamese transformation". Houston Chronicle. August 16, 2008. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
- ISBN 978-1-58980-548-4. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
- Houston Business Journal. May 10, 2004. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
- ^ Nancy Sarnoff (November 28, 2004). "Little Saigon tries to carry on / City pushing for ways to give area new life". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 17, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
- ^ Vietnamese Yellow Pages in DFW
- ^ Echoes of Little Saigon: Protecting and Preserving the Cultural History of the Vietnamese Community in Arlington, Virginia
- ^ "Welcome to Little Saigon". March 29, 2017.
- ^ "Restaurant review: Mariscos el Barco, a Mexican restaurant in 'Little Saigon' in western Henrico, is a seafood feast fit for royalty".
- ^ "Sapa: Little Hanoi in Prague". prague.tips. July 9, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- ^ "FEATURE: 'Little Vietnam' in rural France faces demolition". June 11, 2008.
- ^ "Das Zentrum von Little Hanoi". www.dong-xuan-berlin.de. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
http://articles.latimes.com/1994-07-06/local/me-12402_1_garden-grove
http://articles.latimes.com/1994-03-12/local/me-32940_1_vietnamese-gang-members
https://ocweekly.com/new-exhibit-captures-complexities-of-vietnamese-in-orange-county-6477083/
https://voiceofoc.org/2015/09/little-saigon-understands-what-syrian-refugees-are-going-through/
https://www.bbc.com/vietnamese/world/2015/09/150914_viet_focus_exhibition_usa
External links
- Little Saigon News
- The Fall and Rise of Saigon from the Orange County Register
- Town Hall in Little Saigon (Wednesday, June 25) Interviews with several Orange County Little Saigon community and business leaders on NPR's KPCC
- Blog about happenings in Little Saigon
- Pictures of Little Saigon in Melbourne
- AsianWeek: Big Plans for Little Saigon - In-depth article on the development of Little Saigon in Orange County, California.
- An Advisory Services Panel Report on Little Saigon - Urban Land Institute