Where Enclave Goes From Here Depends on When You Arrived
To outsiders, Little Saigon may appear little more than a monolithic array of strip malls packed with noodle soup restaurants and trinket shops. With most signs in Vietnamese, Little Saigon seems a tight-knit enclave.
But as with any community, Little Saigon has its share of divisions,those among young and old, newer arrivals and long-term residents, anti-communists and those who want to build ties with their homeland. How these fissures play are likely to be key variables in where Little Saigon, the biggest Vietnamese enclave outside Vietnam, goes from here.
Little Saigon’s acclimated younger generation is more likely to shop elsewhere while the elderly stay put. Some want to bring in more tourists even if it means bringing in more non-Vietnamese culture. Others prefer to leave things as they are. Then there are the differences between Vietnamese and the Chinese-Vietnamese.
But one of the area’s biggest divides is the gap between those who fled at the end of the Vietnam War by air in 1975,the well-educated and wealthy,and the poorer, less-educated who fled by boat later, mostly in the 1980s.
The 50,000 or so Vietnamese refugees who first arrived at the then-El Toro Marine base created a Vietnamese Ellis Island, with most choosing to remain in OC and eventually creating Little Saigon.
“The first wave of people have assimilated themselves into U.S. society to a much greater extent than later immigrants,” said Quang Pham, chief executive of MyDrugRep Inc., a Newport Beach pharmaceutical information provider. “And they are generally better-educated. They are wealthier and they are also more Americanized.”
Today, Little Saigon is home to more than 200,000 Vietnamese and their offspring and covers parts of Fountain Valley, Santa Ana, Garden Grove and Westminster. Those who left Vietnam in 1975,about 130,000 in total,came from middle- and upper-class families or those with ties to the U.S. government. Many were Chinese-Vietnamese.
Co Pham, president of the Westminster-based Bolsa Medical Group and chairman of the Vietnamese-American Chamber of Commerce in Westminster, was one of those who arrived in 1975. He said the two groups of Vietnamese immigrants often disagree on politics.
“People from the first wave seem more likely to just want to move on with Vietnam-U.S. relations,” Co Pham said, “while those who arrived later still seem to cling to past bitterness.”
Co Pham said he believes many who were part of the second wave of immigrants still are likely to hold a grudge against the current government in Vietnam because they suffered greater hardship than the first wave in 1975.
Those who fled Vietnam by sea in the late 1970s and 1980s generally experienced a much more arduous journey that resulted in significant psychological trauma for many.
Many of the boat people also endured reprisals inflicted by the country’s post-1975 government, including being sent to mandatory “re-education camps” for those who served in the former South Vietnamese army during the war.
In Little Saigon, the divide comes into play in terms of what role Little Saigon should play with Vietnam. Should it be a gateway for Vietnamese visitors? A hub for trade with the Southeast Asian nation?
Many in the 1975 wave of immigrants want to establish closer ties with their homeland, in part to boost Little Saigon’s economy. But more recent immigrants tend to be more insular, preferring to build Little Saigon up from within. Through their fierce loyalty to the area, recent arrivals have become an important mainstay of the enclave’s economy.
“The more recent settlers tend to work or conduct other activities closer to Little Saigon,” said Garden Grove Councilman Van Tran. “Earlier immigrants like myself don’t rely so much on the area’s services anymore.”
Trouble is, internal growth may be harder to come by for Little Saigon. In recent years, the area’s economy has stagnated as many of its young people spend money at nearby shopping centers such as Westminster Mall instead of Little Saigon shops. Unlike their elders, the new generation of Vietnamese doesn’t necessarily need the comfort of stores that cater to immigrants.
“It’s a generational thing,” said Steve Soto, Westminster’s economic development manager.
To offset the outflow, many of Little Saigon’s “air people” who arrived in 1975 want to boost Little Saigon’s economy through increased trade with Vietnam, as well as more openness to tourists and non-Vietnamese.
Community leaders such as Tran and Co Pham have expressed concern that an overly insular and inward-looking Little Saigon will never develop to its full economic potential.
To that end, Pham and others such as Westminster Council Tony Lam want to make the area more open and accessible to outsiders.
Lam, for one, wants to see more “Western” outlets in the area to encourage the area’s young people to remain in Little Saigon. He also wants to see things like tourist bureaus, as well as improved walking areas that resemble Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade with bicycle-mounted police, to make the area more pedestrian-friendly.
And if history provides any lessons, then more recent immigrants may loosen their ties to Little Saigon. Many could start looking for more affordable housing in South County or the Inland Empire and spend more of their money elsewhere.
“It’s only natural that everyone eventually starts to assimilate more into mainstream American society while newer arrivals stick closer to Little Saigon for familiarity and support,” said Quang Pham. “That sort of thing goes in cycles.” n
