Taking Pulse of Vietnamese in a New Land

Asian Garden Mall, considered by the Vietnamese community to be the center of Little Saigon, was even more crowded than usual Saturday, as hundreds of people were attracted to the first free health fair held in the ethnic shopping district.

“I’ve been wanting to go over to get checked out, but the line has been so long,” said Henry Au Duong, who provided free refreshments for volunteers working across from his family-owned CNC Fast Food counter.

Organizers considered the fair to be a good way to get a medical profile of the Vietnamese community, said Vien Dao Doan, medical director for the Nhan Hoa Comprehensive Health Care Clinic, which treats people who have no money to pay for medical services.

“We have been surprised at how many of our patients have high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. We wanted to see how big the problem is,” said Doan, one of six Vietnamese physicians who started the clinic.

So they borrowed space at the mall to measure people’s blood pressure and cholesterol and sugar levels. Doctors also gave flu shots to those older than 55 and measured smokers’ lung capacity.

Those tested got their results within 10 minutes and were counseled individually.

When the fair opened at 11 a.m., people were already lined up, said Khiet Thanh Truong, a program director for the clinic. The fair had been advertised on Vietnamese TV shows.

He said organizers had planned for 300 people by 5 p.m. By 12:30 p.m., they had already served nearly 100. The fair also drew many shoppers and diners attracted by the large white banners hanging above the volunteers.

“This has been more than what we had imagined,” Truong said. “We thought people would be trickling in to get tested, but our volunteers have been working nonstop.”

The fair was open to everyone, but only Vietnamese-Americans tested will be in the results profile, doctors said. About 5% of the people in line were not of Vietnamese extraction.

People in Vietnam are generally not susceptible to high blood-pressure or high cholesterol levels, but they tend to have those conditions here because of the change in lifestyle, Truong said.

“Vietnamese food often includes frying, and that has a lot of of fat,” he said. “However, in their homeland, people walk or bike a lot more (because fewer people own automobiles), so they are more active. Over here, people get into cars and then just sit down at work.”

Another problem is the stress of starting all over in a new country. “Their sadness and frustration make them more tired,” he said, “and this slows down their circulation system.”

Watching all the activities opposite his food counter, Duong praised the volunteers.

“There is a portion of the community that does not have Medi-Cal or have medical insurance at work,” he said. “It’s so bad, because checkups are not cheap. This is very good for the Vietnamese community.”