Another Chapter in Saga of Immigrants : Vietnamese Becoming Part of American Fabric

The latest chapter in the unending saga of immigrants becoming Americans is being written by the Vietnamese--those who fled the Communist takeover in 1975 and those who arrived last month, those working on shrimp boats in Louisiana and in factories in Garden Grove. And while their circumstances are different, it is striking how similar their assimilation has been to that of earlier immigrants, the ones who fled Europe and Mexico, rather than Asia, who sought to escape famine or poverty rather than war and retribution.

The Times Poll recently interviewed more than 800 Vietnamese adults living in Southern California, most of them in Orange County. Considering the shock of being torn from their homeland, surprisingly few refugees said they would return to Vietnam if the Communists were thrown out. Large numbers of the newcomers are American citizens now; most who were not said they expected to be citizens soon.

One encouraging sign of a break with the past was the strong support Vietnamese Americans expressed for better ties with Hanoi. More than half the refugees and immigrants backed full diplomatic relations between America and Vietnam, which would be a major step up from the limited trade relations now existing.

The support for closer links marked a sharp turnabout from the odious climate of fear that for too long paralyzed the newcomers, making those supporting even minimal relations with their former homeland afraid to speak out lest more hawkish Vietnamese Americans abuse them verbally or even physically. After all, it was only seven years ago that newspaper editor Tap Van Pham was killed in a firebombing of his Garden Grove office after publishing advertisements for companies that some anti-Communists considered fronts for the Vietnamese government.

Another sign of change is in the reason the Vietnamese come to America. The refugees of 1975 were fleeing expected persecution when the Communists took over; U.S. troops pushed helicopter after helicopter over the side of American warships to make room for the refugees in some of the war’s most memorable newsreel footage.

Years later the “boat people” fled in overcrowded, rickety craft in dangerous and expensive journeys designed to avoid prison or hunger. These days many newcomers are more immigrants than refugees, seeking to join families already here.

But perhaps the biggest sign of Americanization is the one linking the Vietnamese of Westminster’s Little Saigon to previous groups like the Italians of Little Italy: The young are Americans by birth, citizenship and feeling. Vietnam is their parents’ homeland, not theirs.

A 23-year-old woman said that the older generation prefers to shop in Little Saigon; the younger generation prefers the mall at South Coast Plaza.

Another sign of the times is polling itself, which has given us insights into the newcomers’ adjustment; we need not await historians’ research. The Times poll reflected problems, too. One of every 11 surveyed reported being a victim of discrimination. Too many Vietnamese-American youth have joined violent gangs, and police have said they would like more cooperation in investigating crimes.

But the Vietnamese community itself deserves credit for continuing to help newcomers, briefing them on what to expect, setting up language classes and passing on job tips. Many of the newcomers have made the transition from Vietnamese to Vietnamese Americans, en route to their children and grandchildren simply being Americans.