VOICES

“The Vietnamese people do well in business, but in terms of living in this society, not everyone is happy. . . . Life here, especially in California, is too independent. It’s materialistic and it can drive people to pursue and love wealth. . . . [But] no other country compares to the United States. This country has it all. Anything you want, you can get it.”

--Accountant Tien Luu, 40, of Westminster

“I know there is some resentment from people who have lived here all their life. They seem to think that we cater to the Vietnamese, and that’s not true. During the demonstrations [last year in Little Saigon] I was very upset that they ignored the rights of other people. . . . What I would like to see is more cooperation and acceptance of the laws here, for them to realize that we all have to work together.”

--Westminster City Councilwoman Margie L. Rice, 71

“When we first came over here, we had to mix in with the Americans, so we learned the language quickly. But now, there are too many programs. For example, if you go to the DMV, you can take the test in Vietnamese. People don’t take the time to learn English. . . . They just go to the Vietnamese community. I think that may hurt us.”

--Chiropractor Tran Ngo, 38, Placentia

“In the United States, there are laws . . . I don’t really have to worry about the abuse of power. Over here, it doesn’t matter what you do, but you can spend the money the same. It’s more fair. I can go into any bar or restaurant and spend my money. In Vietnam, we are separated by social classes.”

--Auto mechanic Huan Do, 26, Garden Grove

“Orange County has become a center for the inflow of immigrants, and the Vietnamese community is one of the largest. That is very positive for our economy because in general, they are very hard-working people . . . [Many] are becoming entrepreneurs, because that’s the only way they can have their own businesses. That contributes quite a bit in terms of small business growth in the community.”

--Chapman University economics professor Esmael Adibi, 47, of Orange.

“[So many have joined the priesthood] that many Vietnamese priests are serving in parishes where there is no Vietnamese community. There is a strong sense of community responsibility that is engendered among the Vietnamese, and this creates the expectation on young people to dedicate themselves to the church. . . . As the Vietnamese continue to acculturate, it is a question whether they will be able to sustain the number of vocations, given that more young people are seeing other options outside of the Vietnamese community.”

--Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange Auxiliary Bishop Jaime Soto, 44, of Santa Ana

“We’ve seen the problems of integrating a refugee community at the school level. I remember maybe a decade or so ago where a Vietnamese kid was followed home by some Anglo kids and beaten up. [School officials] wound up suspending all the Vietnamese kids for the next day and a half leading up to a vacation, to ‘protect’ them. It was not perceived by the Vietnamese as protection. It was perceived as blame.”

--Orange County Human Relations Commission Executive Director Rusty Kennedy, 48, of Fullerton

“When I stepped on the ship [to escape as Saigon fell], I accepted everything. I accepted whatever it took to survive. I was willing to do any type of work. I didn’t turn down anything and I’ve never had to depend on welfare for a day. I came here and found work.”

--Retired school principal Dieu Van Nguyen, 82, Westminster