Tracking Alcohol Use in Little Saigon : Survey: Findings in the Vietnamese community uncover misperceptions and customs that encourage drinking. Most blame the drug’s availability at bars and nightspots.

Acknowledging liberal drinking habits at home and a brisk trade in alcohol at Little Saigon markets and restaurants, Orange County’s Vietnamese community is concerned about alcohol-related problems such as drunk driving and fighting, according to a new study.

The Vietnamese Community of Orange County, a social services agency which conducted the first-ever survey of attitudes toward drinking in the Vietnamese community, reported that many Vietnamese families don’t consider exposing minors to alcohol a problem.

Fifty-three percent of respondents described the availability of alcohol in bars and nightclubs as the cause of problems such as driving under the influence of alcohol, violence and gang activity.

But of 57 Vietnamese DUI offenders questioned for the study, 56% said they had been drinking at a private home before the arrest. Only 32% had been at a bar or nightclub.

The 18-month study, released this week, was funded by a three-year grant from the county Health Care Agency. Researchers conducted face-to-face interviews with 333 Vietnamese Americans of various socioeconomic backgrounds from community centers, churches and English classes.

“There’s a misperception among the community of where the problems of alcohol abuse are coming from,” said Nghia Tran, the organization’s executive director. “It’s coming from the home and irresponsible alcohol service.”

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Researchers said the cultural habit of nhau , or drinking while eating for hours, is popular and socially acceptable at homes and encouraged in restaurants.

A 1994 survey by the county’s Health Care Agency shows that Orange County adults of various races generally drink most at home.

Researchers involved in the current study said they conducted it in the hope of prompting alcohol-abuse outreach programs targeted at Vietnamese households. Tran said the report “gives us a set of clues to begin to resolve these problems.”

Sanh Do, 29, for example, doesn’t believe he has a drinking problem, despite two convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol.

The Garden Grove father of two daughters considers himself a casual beer drinker, though he is serving three years of probation and was required to install a device on his car that measures his blood-alcohol level before can start his vehicle.

The 130-pound man said he usually drinks a couple of beers after work. On weekends, Do said, he enjoys six or seven beers with friends at home or in Vietnamese restaurants.

But Do acknowledged that taking mandatory classes on alcohol abuse after his arrests has made him more conscious of his drinking habits.

“I drink less now. If I buy a six-pack now, I’ll finish it over the course of two to three days,” he said. “Whereas I used to drink as much as I wanted.”

With assistance from Cal State Fullerton’s Social Science Research Center, the Vietnamese Community of Orange County plans to launch outreach and preventive programs to address the study’s results and dispel some of the community’s misperceptions about alcohol abuse.

“The family is the venue for intervention,” Tran said. “There’s no way to inoculate kids from alcohol if their immediate environment does not change.”

Education at liquor outlets is also needed, he added.

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In Little Saigon, alcohol is purchased mostly at local markets and restaurants, not bars and liquor stores, according to the study. Less than a dozen bars and nightclubs dot the streets of Little Saigon, which is outlined by Beach Boulevard, Edinger Avenue and Garden Grove and Harbor boulevards. The study calculated there are two alcohol outlets for every school in Little Saigon.

Of the 126 restaurants in Little Saigon, only 54 have liquor licenses.

“In Vietnamese restaurants, if the customers order beer or alcohol, then we offer it to them despite the fact that they get drunk or not. We let them drink as they like,” said a restaurant owner interviewed for the study who asked to remain anonymous.

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Alcohol Beliefs and Truths A study of alcohol consumption in Westminster’s Little Saigon indicates that most people do not think serious problems arise from drinking at home. *

Where serious drinking problems are thought to occur: Bars / nightclubs: 53% Outdoors / parks: 30% Restaurants: 23% Private homes: 18% *

Where drinking occurred before drunk- driving arrest Home / friend’s home: 56% Other: 9% Public: 3% Bar / nightclub: 32% Source: Vietnamese Community of Orange County Inc.