THE TIMES POLL : Family Ties Pull New Wave of Emigres From Vietnam

On a summer day in 1990, then 26-year-old Hao Thi Tran, her mother and two sisters were on a plane about to land at Los Angeles International Airport.

The four women had changed into ao dais , the traditional Vietnamese dresses that are worn over flowing pants. They were anxious to be reunited with family members they had not seen in 10 years.

“We stepped off the plane, and they recognized us first,” said Tran, the youngest of nine children. “I heard someone shrieking and then they ran forward to hug us. There was so much crying and laughing.”

Tran was running to the United States to be with her family, instead of running away from political persecution, as refugees first did after Saigon fell to Communist troops in 1975. She is part of a new wave of Vietnamese immigrants, who are mostly single, young women rejoining their families under the terms of agreements between Washington and Hanoi.

In a Times Poll of Vietnamese residents in Southern California, 42% of new emigres gave family reasons for emigrating and 32% cited political ones. This is a reversal of earlier trends, when the majority of refugees left Vietnam to escape oppression.

Recent immigrants--those who have arrived in the past five years--make up about a third of the 861 Vietnamese adults interviewed by phone from March 28 through April 19. The poll has a sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

They are a group who are largely satisfied with what they have found in the United States.

Tran, who has gotten over the trying years of adapting to a new life in a different country and culture, is now a job counselor for other Vietnamese immigrants at the Westminster office of the Vietnamese Community of Orange County Inc.

“Mom wanted to come over to reunite with my older brothers and sisters,” who had escaped in 1980 by boat, Tran said. “I missed them, too, because we hadn’t seen each other for 10 years.

“But I also knew that my life would improve in the United States,” she added. “And now with this job, it’s satisfying to help people who just came over. I know what it’s like.”

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Like Tran, most other newcomers are blue-collar workers or homemakers, are unmarried and have household incomes of less than $20,000 a year. About half are adults younger than 30 and a majority of them are female.

The high number of women is a new trend. Previously, there were so few that Vietnamese men roamed from state to state looking for Vietnamese mates.

“The guys used to complain it was hard to find a Vietnamese wife here,” said Loc Nguyen, a coordinator at Tran’s refugee agency, who estimated that three-quarters of the refugees used to be men.

According to the Immigration and Naturalization Service, women made up 52% of the 77,735 Vietnamese people who entered the United States two years ago.

During the 1970s and 1980s, fewer Vietnamese girls and women fled their homeland because most escapees had to endure nightmarish trips on flimsy boats in their quest for freedom, said Hoang Tieu, director of employee services for Catholic Charities of Orange County. At the time, few people had relatives abroad to sponsor them over.

“They were afraid of being robbed or raped” by pirates, he said. “Now more women come because most already have families living here, (and) now they can fly” on commercial airline flights.

A series of government programs have been reuniting families.

In 1979, Washington and Hanoi agreed to let residents of Vietnam reunite with immediate family members in the United States under the Orderly Departure Program.

Eight years later, the Amerasian Homecoming Act admitted Vietnamese children of American soldiers.

And in 1990, the Humanitarian Operation agreement allowed former Vietnamese prisoners of re-education camps to emigrate. Most of the third group had been military officials in the old South Vietnamese republic.

Van Nguyen, 25, of Reseda came in 1992 under the Amerasian program with her mother, husband and her then-2-year-old daughter.

“Of course I miss Vietnam a lot, because it’s my native land. But I would never go back there to live,” she said. “There, they didn’t let Amerasians go to school. Here I can get an education.”

According to the Times Poll, a large number of the new arrivals are doing just that.

They are either working toward degrees or studying English, which they consider an essential ingredient for success. On the advice of veteran immigrants already living in the United States, some had even tried to learn their new homeland’s language before coming over.

Because the latest emigres had relatives and friends who wrote to Vietnam telling them what to expect, they tended to be more prepared, social workers said.

“The earlier wave, all of a sudden, bam! They had to run from the Communists,” said Tieu of Catholic Charities. “The newer waves knew they had to come here and work, or go to school. Many tried to learn English before leaving Vietnam.”

But preparation does little good for one category of Vietnamese immigrants: the former detainees of Communist prisons.

“Most are at least 50, had suffered from years of malnutrition and slave labor,” Tieu said. “They are thin and look sickly. Who wants to hire them? Emotionally, they feel washed-up. Seeing others who had come before leading successful lives, with children graduated with good degrees, these men feel they and their families have lost too much.”

Thang Dao, 56, was imprisoned from 1975 to 1981 in a labor camp, because he had been a military officer for the defeated side. He, his wife and 7-year-old daughter immigrated to Garden Grove two years ago.

He cannot find work, he said, because of constant headaches and fatigue--legacies from past hunger, forced labor and beatings in the re-education camps.

“Fitting in is best for the young who can more easily find work,” Dao said. “It has not been easy for me. If you don’t have a job, you can’t fit in because you’re left out of society’s cycle. It’s frustrating.”

Social workers say it’s easier to find employment for women--mostly as seamstresses--and men younger than their mid-50s--as assembly workers or security guards.

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An unusual solution to the lack of work in Southern California materialized last fall: jobs in meat-processing plants in Iowa, Michigan and Nebraska. The packing houses are hiring, pay $6.50 an hour for entry levels, and do not require English-language skills.

Catholic Charities, in conjunction with the Vietnamese Community of Orange County Inc., has sent more than 200 willing Vietnamese emigres to the Midwest, though the winters there are harsh for people used to tropical heat.

“Those companies have even hired whole families. The old, weak fathers or the women can do light work like sorting fat from the meat, not heavy chopping,” Tieu said.

“Most of the time, they send a son first to scout out the situation. Good jobs, cheaper housing than here, so clients are willing to put up with the cold weather for the chance to be self-supporting. We tell them they have to be realistic and they listen to us.”

Social workers often stress to new immigrants that they must face reality.

“I tell them the important thing after coming here is to not expect so much,” job counselor Tran said. “Don’t think this is paradise and that everything is easy.”

Another tip for newcomers is to not compare themselves with longtime Vietnamese residents, who have had a head start of nearly 19 years, she said.

“I tell them that in the beginning, everyone is discouraged,” Tran said. “Other people have homes and cars, you don’t. I say things will be normal for you, too, once you get a job. Be patient.”

As for the old-timers, more view newcomers in a positive light rather than in a negative one. Almost a third of the survey’s respondents said the recent immigrants contribute to the Vietnamese community, while 20% said they were a burden.

Dao, the former detainee of Communist camps, encourages Vietnamese friends and relatives to come live here, despite the struggles.

“I have many friends (in Vietnam) who write and ask me if they should come over, too,” he said. “I write plainly that if they think of their children’s future, and if they want to get away from communism, then they should accept the hardships and come.”

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But if communism ceases to exist in Vietnam and democracy flourishes, almost a third of new arrivals in the poll said they would return to their birthplace to live, even though three-fourths of the poll respondents said they had a favorable view of the American way of life.

So would a similar proportion of those who have lived here for years.

Bau Nguyen, 33, who has been here for 15 years, said he would rather reside in a free Vietnam than here.

The United States “may be very civilized, and equality may be (the rule), but there are many crazy things that can happen, too,” the Garden Grove machinist said. “Life here has a lot of things to seduce people to extremes.”

Nguyen complained of clothing that is both expensive and revealing, and the seemingly rampant violence in the streets.

“There’s too much freedom for guns and bullets,” he added. “I don’t want to have to worry about violence, but I do. If someone suggests a walk on the beach, I don’t feel comfortable with the idea. There could be a racist out there who might attack you.”

Though Nguyen expressed wariness about prejudice, he said he has not experienced it face to face. In the poll, one out of every 11 Vietnamese said they had been the victims of discrimination.

Tran, the job counselor, counts herself among the few.

It happened in 1991, when she was working at the Community Development Council in Costa Mesa, where she helped low-income people pay bills.

“I loved my job there, and it helped me to learn English. My supervisors were so nice to me and I was feeling good because I was helping people,” she recounted. “Then this elderly white woman came in one day, took one look at me and refused to be helped by me.

“I was so upset,” Tran said. “I couldn’t work for the rest of the day. That was the first and only time I felt maybe I shouldn’t be here.”

There have been no repeat instances since then, and she does not count herself among those who want to return to Vietnam to live--no matter what regime is in place.

“People are so poor there, especially if there’s no support from relatives here,” Tran said. “The country still lacks amenities that I’ve become used to. Vietnam is polluted, with too much traffic. Maybe when I’m old and ready to retire, that’s where I’ll go.”

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That sentiment is shared by nearly half of those 50 and older, who want to spend their last days where they were born.

The young find it less appealing; only 27% wanted to return to their native land to live.

Nguyen, the machinist, said he recognizes there are drawbacks to Vietnam, but its slower pace allows people to enjoy life more.

“Here you’re in debt all the time, no matter if you’re a doctor making lots of money,” he said. “You owe people for everything you own. And your work is not necessarily secure. You can lose your job after 10 years, that’s normal. In Vietnam, one working person can support a family of 10. You can’t do that here. There, homes are cheaper and easier to buy. In general, life is just easier, more relaxing.”

He also would rather see his 7-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son grow up in the land of their ancestors.

“They won’t be as easily spoiled by society. Fashions and trends are slower to catch on there. They won’t have to become so sophisticated so fast as Western children do,” Nguyen said.

In contrast, Tran, the single job counselor, can only see raising future children in her new homeland.

“Life is fair here,” she said. “You work hard, you enjoy the results of your hard work. When I lived in Vietnam, my salary as a teacher was $6 a month. I didn’t dare dream of having a family.

“Now, I can,” Tran said with a smile.

Los Angeles Times Poll: New Arrivals Have Different Agenda

The latest arrivals among Vietnamese immigrants to Southern California are coming for different reasons than their predecessors, and tend to be even more optimistic about their new lives than the first wave of refugees that came here almost two decades ago.

“What was the main reason you came to live in the United States?”

Became permanent U.S. resident 1967-78 1979-81 Since ’89 Political oppression in Vietnam 65% 69% 32% Wanted to be reunited with family 20 12 42 Economic opportunities 7 8 11 Educational opportunities 4 5 8

Note: Totals add to less than 100% because not all categories are shown

“By what means did you leave Vietnam? Did you leave by Navy ship or military aircraft around the time Saigon fell, or did you escape from Vietnam by boat later on, or through Cambodia later on, or were you allowed to leave as a result of some diplomatic initiative, or what?”

Became permanent U.S. resident 1967-78 1979-81 Since ’89 Ship, military aircraft 72% * 2% Escaped later by boat 24 84 12 Diplomatic initiative 3 5 56

* Less than 0.5%

Note: Totals add to less than 100% because not all categories shown

“Has your life here in the United States turned out better than you expected, worse than you expected, or has it turned out just about as you expected when you arrived?”

Became permanent U.S. resident 1967-78 1979-81 Since ’89 Better 55% 57% 65% Worse 7 9 7 As expected 28 24 18 Don’t know 10 10 10

“Are you married or have you never been married?”

Became permanent U.S. resident 1967-78 1979-81 Since ’89 Married 76% 62% 45% Not married 24 38 55

“What kind of work do you usually do now?”

Became permanent U.S. resident 1967-78 1979-81 Since ’89 Professional 30% 26% 16% White collar 10 16 9 Administrator 25 14 6 Blue collar 27 33 52

Note: Totals add to less than 100% because not all categories shown

“If you added together the yearly incomes of all the members of your family living at home last year, would the total of all their incomes be less than $20,000, or more than $60,000, or somewhere in between?”

Became permanent U.S. resident 1967-78 1979-81 Since ’89 Less than $20,000 18% 28% 63% $20-000-$39,999 27 30 9 $40,000-$59,999 22 14 6 $60,000 and more 19 7 1 Don’t know/refused 14 21 21

Source: Los Angeles Times Poll

How the Poll Was Conducted

The Times Poll interviewed 861 adult Vietnamese residents of Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties by telephone from March 28 through April 19, 1994. The questions were developed in consultation with Duong Pham, a visiting lecturer at UC Irvine and UCLA, and Khao Luu, president of the Assn. of Former Vietnamese Educators Overseas. The interviewing was conducted in Vietnamese and English by Vietnamese American interviewers at Interviewing Services of America Inc. of Van Nuys. A list of Vietnamese surnames was used to draw the samples from phone directories in the six counties. Results were adjusted slightly so that the sample conforms with census information about sex, age and education. Vietnamese residents of Orange County were oversampled and a total of 502 interviews were conducted there; 359 were conducted in the other five counties.

Where Southern California results are cited, the Orange County sample is weighted to its proper proportion in the sample. The margin of sampling error for the entire sample is plus or minus 4 percentage points. For the Orange County sample, the error is plus or minus 5 percentage points and for the rest of the region it is plus or minus 7 points. The sampling error for other subgroups may vary. In addition to sampling error, poll results can be affected by other factors such as question wording and the order in which questions are presented. Additionally, surname samples of this type do not allow for the sampling of people with unlisted telephone numbers and Vietnamese residents who do not have Vietnamese surnames.