Poll Looks at Community’s Ties to Vietnam : Surveys: Study for Cal State Fullerton shows nearly one in five have visited their homeland.

Nearly one in five Vietnamese Americans in Orange County have traveled to Vietnam since the country opened its doors to visitors almost 10 years ago, an indication of the bonds many have with the homeland they fled, according to a Cal State Fullerton survey released Thursday.

Jeffrey Brody, a Cal State Fullerton communications professor, told a Little Saigon press conference: “I find it rather remarkable the strong ties that exist between this community and the people in Vietnam,” despite the Vietnamese expatriates’ flight from South Vietnam as Communists took over in the 1970s.

Only 164 Orange County Vietnamese American residents were surveyed, by telephone, from July 11 to July 24. The low sample was due to the modest $5,000 grant the university received from the state, according to Interviewing Service of America of Van Nuys, which conducted the survey. The Vietnamese American population in Orange County is more than 72,000, according to the 1990 census.

The margin of error ranges from plus or minus 3% to 8%. The questionnaire was developed by Brody and fellow communications professor Tony Rimmer. The interviews were conducted in Vietnamese, and a list of Vietnamese surnames was used to draw the samples from phone directories.

Quynh Trang Nguyen, of Little Saigon Radio and Television, said she is not surprised at the number of people returning to Vietnam since travel resumed between the two countries in 1986.

“A lot of people here still have families there and they need to nourish the ties,” Nguyen said. “A lot still don’t want to admit that they go back because they don’t want the hassle from the community.”

According to the survey, which began on the same day President Clinton announced the restoration of diplomatic ties between the United States and its former adversary, slightly more than 50% of the expatriates said they agreed with the President’s decision while 35% said they disagreed. The results are similar to other polls conducted in the past year addressing the diplomatic relations issue.

“Although the community is polarized, there are substantial blocs that support normalization and doing business in Vietnam,” Brody said. “Once the President made the decision . . . the community has to live with it or adapt to it.”