Vietnamese Community Research Paper

Yingci Chen

English 0812

Tim Fitts

12 April 2016

A Hidden Vietnamese Community

In South Philadelphia is where one of the largest Vietnamese community located. The community has a large population of Vietnamese restaurants, stores and markets. The heart of the Vietnamese community lies on the Sixth and Washington Ave, also known as the Little Saigon built by Vietnamese’s and spreads over Washington Ave. This Little Saigon was a place where Vietnamese unite and started during the Vietnam War. As the population in South Philadelphia, Washington Ave grew 277 percent from 1990 to 2010; the neighborhood’s role on representing their culture also increased. As stated by Allyn Gaestel, “the strip malls serve as bright ambassador of Philly’s changing neighborhood.” The neighborhood changed from empty warehouses on the street to a Vietnamese retail plaza that is popular with visitors from around the U.S. and from different cultures. This Vietnamese Plaza has closed up gaps between Vietnamese and American culture because it gives Vietnamese to present their culture and a place for Americans to understand Vietnamese customs/culture.

The history of America and Vietnam started way back in the history. Many people think that Vietnamese hates Americans because of the damages they made to their homeland during wars. In the

On the other hand of spreading the Vietnamese culture, there is a Viet festival every year in Philadelphia that are organized by the Vietnamese Organization. It is an event that celebrates the Lunar New Year; also known as the Vietnamese New Year. It is a day where Vietnamese celebrate their country and worshiping their gods. The Mid-Autumn festival is an “opportunity for members of the family to visit together and share together everything in their year.” (An 2013) On this day, families will prepare traditional foods such as mood cakes, square cakes, Vietnamese sausage, sticky rice, boiled chicken, and dried fruit candies to wish for a happy and lucky new