Vietnamese In America

Vietnamese In America

Context:

The United States from its earliest times has been a melting pot, so to speak, of many cultures form various regions of the world. Much more recently have peoples of Asian descent, and specifically Vietnamese people come into the mix of American culture. Like most immigrants, Asian-Americans have had to suffer many hardships, not only to get into the country itself, but to assimilate, adapt, and survive. When groups like this come to this country, it is crucial to be able to align themselves with others who have shared similar experiences in order to attain the goals they set for themselves and more importantly, assimilate into the ever-changing American culture. Vietnamese, more so than any other Asian-American group, have had arguably the worst experiences when coming to the United States.

There were a very small number of Vietnamese immigrants in the United States prior to 1975. When the Vietnam war ended in 1975, large numbers of Vietnamese people were more or less forced out of Vietnam by the communist party. As political refugees, it was not simply a boat ride to America, rather the refugees were often shipped to camps before even having a chance to reach American soil. Those who were lucky enough to reach America suffered great hardships early on. Many settled in poor urban neighborhoods and were given little opportunity or respect because of their nationality. President Ford however helped to pass the Indochina Migration and Refugee Act in 1975 which let Vietnamese refugees enter the United States under a special status. Later, in 1980, congress passed another act, the Refugee Act of 1980,which lowered the qualifications for entry into the country to an even lower extent. This allowed for another large migration of Vietnamese into the U.S.. Most of these people were placed throughout different parts of the country in order to curb their cultural impact on American communities, however many of them eventually grouped back together in areas like Texas and California.

More recently, Vietnamese-Americans have begun to assimilate into and make their mark on American culture. Vietnamese, more so than other Asian-American groups, have made the strongest push to integrate themselves into American society. In 2000, a study showed that 44% of foreign-born Vietnamese are American citizens, which is the largest number for any Asian-American group. Over the past 30 or so years, Vietnamese-Americans have begun to mobilize and make people recognize that they have as much of a right to be in this country as anyone else. Many have moved their way up the social and political ladders and are in positions to make the changes necessary for others like them to thrive in the culturally diverse country that is the United States.

Text:

Peoples of Asian ancestry are dispersed throughout the United States and make up a significant portion of our culture and population. Early on, there were three main groups who initially kick started the immigration process for Asians into the San Diego area of the United States. Chinese in the mid 1800’s, Japanese in the late 1800’s, and Filipinos in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s were the original groups to immigrate into the U.S. up until the time of World War II. Because of the Naval base in San Diego, a significant number settled in that general area. Many came for economic gain due to the availability of jobs. Legislation was continually passed to slow each group from gaining momentum which is the reason for the chronological patterns of settlement for three each of the three groups. Eventually, after WWII, the Chinese were seen as and American ally which led to the revision of much of the restricting legislation. This specifically led to a large influx of Asian women into the U.S. The Vietnam War had the same effect for Vietnamese people. Large groups of Vietnamese came to the U.S. after the fall of the South in 1975. The main difference between the Vietnamese and other Asian groups was that they were mainly refugees or "involuntary immigrants. The book Mobilizing: An Asian American Community, gives a brief history of Vietnamese settlement into the United States, specifically California. The author, Linda Trinh Vo, uses her experiences and Asian ancestry to align herself with various Asian-American groups in order to better understand their situations and document their efforts to mobilize. The book focuses mainly on the San Diego area because, while few know it, there is a significantly large Vietnamese population in the San Diego area. Throughout the book, the reader is able to see a gradual evolution of Vietnamese influence on American culture.

In the early stages of Vietnamese settlement in the United States and specifically San Diego, Asian-American groups were used as an outlet for social change and acceptance. Groups like the Union of Pan-Asian Communities (UPAC), based in San Diego, had to use "interactive models of activism" to be heard in a society which served them with few advantages. They were a group who started out as a grassroots organization and eventually evolved into a political entity due to their persistence and continued support from many Asian-American groups. They started in the 70’s which was already a time of social unrest in the U.S. they changed the power structure already in place in the Asian American community by bringing in younger minds and adding women into the power mix. Multiple ethnic groups were also represented in the group. After the large influx of Vietnamese refugees in 1975, the UPAC recognized that they too were part of the same social struggle and thus should be represented in the UPAC structure. Other groups, like the Asian Pacific American Coalition (APAC) took charge of situations that dealt with negative depiction of Asians through larger outlets like the American media. Characters in various programs like San Diego at Large and "shock radio" used stereotypes for Asian characters. This in turn led to negative views on Asians on a subliminal level. Negative connotations associated with a group through popular culture can have lasting effects and in this case did argues Vo. Mainstream society would be less likely to accept the already marginalized Asian-American community because of this. Without the formation of social and political groups such as these, one can arguer that there would be few rights or even respect for Vietnamese-Americans to this day.

While the UPAC & APAC were formed to handle the social side of mobilization for Vietnamese-Americans in the San Diego area, other groups were using their example and success to delve into other aspects of change. Groups like the Asian Business Association (ABA), were formed to deal with the economic side of mobilization. Issues like discrimination and affirmative action were the basis for the ABA when it was constructed. This group made great strides in highlighting the importance of Asian-Americans in the business world because of their transnational links. Vo actually served as a board member for the ABA at one time in order to better understand the interworking of the organization. Not only were the Asian-American business people themselves key to this movement, but the Asian-American consumer as well. With the vivid change in socioeconomic resources, Asians were able to place themselves in positions of importance. Vietnamese-Americans typically started out as poor groups with little opportunity. Through groups like the ABA, they have been able to understand their rights within the United States and have used their principles as a springboard for success. As younger generations of Vietnamese Americans come along, they have become increasingly well educated and primed for success in the American business world.

While efforts to mobilize Asian and Vietnamese groups in America moved along fairly quickly, there were of course a few problems these groups ran into early on. With the solid structure of several organizations in place, political movements were able to be formed. Voices of these groups were heard is various forums over a variety of issues. With no clear leadership however, this was a daunting task. There was also the problem of National attention for the groups based in San Diego. Eventually, many of the Asian Americans residing in the San Diego area started to disperse and move to suburban areas. With no clearly named center for Asian American culture, people did not realize the large percentage of Vietnamese-Americans that did in fact inhabit the greater San Diego area. Suburbanization, in some ways, hindered their progress on a larger scale. Also, along with this came the need for Vietnamese-Americans to form their own identities in order to assimilate into their local environment, yet still keep a sense of self. Some Asian Americans seemed to forget their heritage completely in an effort to westernize and mesh into American culture. Others however were able to use their heritage as a link between cultures in a successful way through business. They also had to decide how they wanted to represent themselves in this aspect. Some accepted the "Pan Asian" or "Asian American" titles while other still fought for individual representation. With so much change happening, it was a confusing time for many Vietnamese-Americans.

Over the past 30 or so years, incredible strides have been made by Vietnamese-Americans. Because of their tumultuous backgrounds, they have been able to use their experiences and fight for what they deserve within the United States. After overcoming great odds to simply reach American soil, they have been able to mobilize their efforts and come together in order to create social change. Acceptance by Americans has been largely due to the Vietnamese ability to assimilate and adapt into American culture. And, while so much has been accomplished already, the struggle is not yet over. To this day, Vietnamese and other Asian groups are continuing to mobilize in an effort to be fully accepted into our culture. Through social and economic groups like the ones I spoke of earlier, they will continue to grow as a group within this country for years to come.

Subtexts:

Do Hien Duc, The Vietnamese Americans, Westport: Greenwood Press, 1992.

This book was written by a Vietnamese refugee who had a first hand look into what immigration was like initially after The Vietnam war and the struggles Vietnamese people had to endure while trying to assimilate into American culture. It goes along with Mobilizing An Asian American Community in that they both discuss issues of assimilation and the struggles within. This book however goes more in depth into the immigration processes, their lasting effects, and what it was like first hand. Both books deal with social issues for Vietnamese Americans and how immigration has evolved over time. The future of the Vietnamese people is also a main point in this book. The author goes into what can be expected in the future in terms of issues such as politics, education, and cultural adaptation.

Xing, Jun. Asian America: Through the Lens. Altamira Press, 1998.

This book is an examination of the many genres of Asian-American film. The author, throughout the book, has a seemingly negative attitude toward most Asian film work done by American directors. He specifically shows distaste for non-Asian or white directors that produce films about Asian Americans, feeling that they have no clue how to represent their group. He specifically scorns the work of Oliver Stone yet praises other Asian directors for making similar cross cultural work. The author does however point out specific genres which he feels are important to Asian-American culture. The negative parts of the book seem to be riddled with quotes backing up his own theories and ideals. It deals with interesting issues concerning Asian-Americans and the media.

Yen Le Espiritu, "Toward a Critical Refugee Study: The Vietnamese refugee subject in
US Scholarship," Journal of Vietnamese Studies, Volume 1, Numbers 1-2, February-
August 2006.

This particular article examines the influx of Vietnamese refugees into the U.S. after The Vietnam war. More specifically, it shows how the U.S. reacted to the migration and how the government continually tried to put positive spins on negative situations the Vietnamese found themselves in. The author also wanted to point out how "Vietnam is a country, not a war". He says that many westerners connect Vietnamese people with the war so often, their identities are often downplayed. The narratives of "rescue and liberation" so often told in conjunction with the Vietnam War are highly unacceptable in the eyes of Espiritu. Vietnamese people need to be viewed as strong for their struggles, rather than passive and weak people.

Nhu Ngoc T. Ong and David Meyer, Protest and Political Incorporation:Vietnamese American Protests in Orange County, California, 1975–2001" Journal of Vietnamese Studies, Volume 3, Number 1 (Winter 2008)

Political activity has been an important outlet for many minority cultures when it comes to having their voice heard in larger social forums. This article shows how protesting was used as an extension of more conventional political practices by Vietnamese Americans. Political activity was stated to have been highly important, when asked in surveys, by the Vietnamese residents of the Orange County area. Seeing as how Vietnamese immigration took place not too long ago, political practices for these groups are in their earliest stages. Leadership definition was also highly important in organizing protests around the events covered in this reading. At the end of the day, the vast majority of the people simply wanted to better the economic positions of their people. The Vietnamese government were at the receiving end of most of the protesting that took place in the "Little Saigon" area of Orange County.

Lê Thi Diem Thúy, The Gangster We are All Looking For,

The story in this book is about a young girl who is forced to leave Vietnam as a refugee and comes, by boat, to California. The girl and her father come originally and are soon kicked out of the home they were accepted into after the girl, disoriented from her hardships, breaks some of the owner’s possessions. The mother eventually makes it to the country, but the parents never quite assimilate into American culture. They fight constantly and are clearly frustrated with their lives. The father tells stories to the young girl throughout of his past experiences which lead the reader to believe he himself is the gangster from the title. This book is a good example of the horrific process of early immigration into the U.S. for Vietnamese.