Saigon Stopover

Westminster’s Little Saigon is the heart of the Vietnamese community in Orange County, especially during Tet, the celebration of the Lunar New Year. As they do in their homeland during this time, families come together for traditional celebrations. So it’s a perfect opportunity for parents of all ethnic groups to introduce their children to Vietnamese culture.

“The music, the dragon dancers . . . it reinvigorates your faith in Vietnam,” says Maryann Nguyen, a shop owner in Little Saigon. “This is a place where we can come together and feel comfortable.”

So pack the kids in the car and take a tour of this incredible neighborhood. Whether you go this weekend or prefer to wait until the festival is over and parking is easier, a window on an exotic world awaits.

Gateway to Vietnam

Almost everything about the Asian Garden Mall (9200 Bolsa Ave., [714] 891-1919) is different from mainstream malls.

Beginning with the entrance, one can feel the presence of a different culture. Four marble statues surrounded by yellow silk chrysanthemums--Buddha and the gods of longevity, prosperity and fortune--guard the main entrance.

Outside you might hear the sound of friends and relatives standing around laughing and chatting in Vietnamese, a beautiful, musical language. Inside, dozens of older gentlemen sit at tables in the fast-food court, which dominates the mall’s center, reading Vietnamese-language newspapers. Little Saigon is home to the Nguoi Viet Daily News, the first Vietnamese-language daily newspaper in America.

One of the first differences you might notice is the absence of the Gap, Banana Republic and other chain stores. The mall is home to family-owned clothing, music, shoe and video shops.

Kids can rummage through at least two stores for Pokemon cards and related items. Grown-ups will marvel at the jewelry shops; there are 13 on the first floor alone. And upstairs houses two mini-mall jewelry centers, each with almost a dozen dealers of gold, diamonds and jade.

The Pho Phenomenon

The Asian Garden Mall houses a number of restaurants that serve the Vietnamese national soup, pho (pronounced fuh). And just across Bolsa Avenue is Pho Hoa (9211 Bolsa Ave., Suite 101-3, [714] 895-5949), and it’s perfect for families looking for a quick break from the mall.

The portions here are large and inexpensive, and since everyone comes to slurp soup, children who are still wrestling with table manners will not stand out in the crowd. The service is fast and friendly and the menu clearly describes the different styles of pho for beginners and more experienced diners.

Pho is great for kids because it’s mild--a light broth, rice noodles, a choice of meat, coriander and green onions. It’s also wonderful for adults because it’s served with a side dish of garnishes to make things interesting, including bean sprouts, limes and green peppers.

Kids and parents will quickly learn that sampling Vietnamese cuisine means savoring a fusion of Asian and French recipes. Eggrolls and rice dishes are plentiful but so are French roast coffee drinks, exquisite pastries and desserts.

Will your kids like Vietnamese cuisine? They should if they enjoy the sweet and hot flavors of Thai or Chinese food. Sample the creamed sodas and teas that you won’t find at Norm’s or Taco Bell. Salty lemon tea is particularly tasty.

Music Mix

In the Vietnamese community, karaoke is one of the most popular forms of home entertainment. A mixture of Vietnamese and American pop music in the form of instrumentals-only cassettes and laser discs fill the shelves of many shops.

“From what I see, Vietnamese are different from Westerners because when they like a song, they just sing it,” said Joseph Doan, owner of the U-Sing-Along Karaoke Superstore (9020 Bolsa Ave., [714] 895-2686). “They don’t care how good they are. They just sing because they enjoy it.”

Doan’s store offers karaoke in all formats: laser discs from $22 to $40, CDs at around $11, cassettes as low as $6, and now DVDs at $22.

And while the store has the pop hits that your kids might recognize by John Lennon, Sir Mix--A--Lot and Shania Twain, Vietnamese singers are still the biggest sellers.

Doan and his brother Bruce also produce their own MTV-style videos featuring performers such as Elvis Phuong, an Elvis Presley-influenced balladeer who was very popular in Vietnam before the fall of Saigon in 1975.

“Most of the popular songs are sad songs because Vietnam is a war country,” Doan says. “That’s why Tet is so important. People want to get in touch with other people and like to celebrate.”

Doan said that since the normalization of trade relations between Vietnam and the U.S., many travel back to Vietnam to celebrate Tet with their families. “But if you stay in [Little Saigon], you can feel it too,” Doan said. “People just want to get in touch with other people.”

Alternative Pharmacy

Explain to the kids that many Vietnamese find relief in alternative, herbal medicines--some that have been used in Asia for thousands of years. At shops such as Khang Dan: Chinese Herbs and Teas (9297 Bolsa Ave., [714] 893-4052), they buy remedies for minor aches and pains.

Khang Dan sells traditional Chinese and Vietnamese herbs to alleviate stomach and back aches, reduce hypertension and curb coughs. It also offers about a dozen different brands of ginseng tea.

BE THERE

The festival will feature booths with food, arts and crafts and games. Opening ceremonies are Saturday at 1:30 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting, live music, martial arts demonstrations and a dragon dance. It will be held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday at Atlantis Park, at Westminster Avenue and Bushard Street in Garden Grove. Parking is at the park and nearby Bolsa Grande High School, 9401 Westminster Ave. (714) 531-6296.

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A Visit to Little Saigon

A sampling of what to eat, see and do in the area:

1. Asian Garden Mall

9200 Bolsa Ave.

(714) 891-1919

2. Pho Hoa

(in Asian Village shopping center)

9211 Bolsa Ave., Suite 101-3

714-895-5949

3. U-Sing-Along Karaoke Superstore

9020 Bolsa Ave.

714-895-2686

4. Khan Dan: Chinese Herbs and Teas

9297 Bolsa Ave.

714-893-4052