Little Saigon, Orange County facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Little Saigon
Neighborhood
Welcome sign marking the entrance to Little Saigon in Garden Grove, California
Country	United States
State	California
County	Orange
Cities	Garden Grove and Westminster

Little Saigon is a special area in Orange County, California. It spreads across the cities of Garden Grove and Westminster. This Little Saigon is the biggest one in the United States.

The name "Saigon" comes from the old capital city of South Vietnam. Many of the first Vietnamese people who moved here came from that city.

History of Little Saigon

The very first and largest Little Saigon began in Orange County, California. Over 189,000 Vietnamese Americans live here. This area has the biggest Vietnamese American population outside of Vietnam.

Here's how many Vietnamese Americans live in Southern California counties:

• Data from the 2011 US Census Bureau, American Community Survey

The community first started in Westminster. It quickly grew into the nearby city of Garden Grove. Today, these two cities have the most Vietnamese Americans in the United States. About 37% of Westminster's population and 31% of Garden Grove's population are Vietnamese American.

The heart of Little Saigon is along Bolsa and Brookhurst streets. But the community has grown into other nearby cities too.

Here are the Vietnamese American populations in central Orange County cities:

• Data from the 2011 US Census Bureau, American Community Survey

Phước Lộc Thọ, also known as Asian Garden Mall, was the first Vietnamese-American business center in Little Saigon.

Westminster was once a quiet suburban city. But by the 1970s, it started to decline. Then, in 1978, Vietnamese pioneers like Danh Quach and Frank Jao opened businesses on Bolsa Avenue. This street became the center of Little Saigon. The Nguoi Viet Daily News newspaper also started publishing from Garden Grove that year.

Many new Vietnamese American families moved in. They opened their own businesses in old stores. Investors also built large shopping centers with many different shops. The Vietnamese community then spread to nearby cities like Garden Grove, Stanton, Fountain Valley, Anaheim, and Santa Ana.

In 1988, a special sign was put on the Garden Grove Freeway (State Route 22). It pointed to the exits leading to Little Saigon.

What You'll Find in Little Saigon

Little Saigon in Orange County is a large community. It has many shopping centers and malls with Vietnamese and Chinese Vietnamese businesses. It's located southwest of Disneyland. The main part of Little Saigon is the Bolsa Avenue center in Westminster. The city council of Westminster officially named Bolsa Avenue "Little Saigon" in the late 1980s.

The area is full of shopping centers and strip malls. You'll find many Vietnamese restaurants, especially those serving phở (a type of noodle soup). There are about 200 restaurants in Little Saigon and the surrounding cities. You can also find Vietnamese supermarkets, delis, and bakeries. These bakeries often sell French-style coffee and baguette sandwiches. This shows the influence of Vietnam's past.

Some coffee shops, called "Quan Ca-Fe," are also popular. They are places where Vietnamese men often meet friends. The city of Westminster has limited how many new coffee shops can open.

Various professional offices in another area of Little Saigon in Westminster.

The Shun Fat Supermarket chain, which is very popular with Vietnamese people, opened a store in Westminster in 2005. Many doctors, dentists, lawyers, and accountants who speak Vietnamese also have offices here. This helps the large Vietnamese population. Food and authentic Vietnamese dishes are a big reason why people visit Little Saigon.

The Asian Garden Mall is a famous two-story shopping center. It was built by Frank Jao, a key person in creating Little Saigon. This mall opened in 1987 and is known for having high rent costs.

Banks and Financial Services

Little Saigon has banks that serve the Vietnamese community. The First Vietnamese American Bank in Westminster was the first to focus on Vietnamese customers. Saigon National Bank was the first nationally approved bank owned by Vietnamese Americans.

Other major banks like Bank of America and Wells Fargo also have branches here. They often have Vietnamese-speaking staff and signs in Vietnamese to welcome customers.

Media and Entertainment

Westminster is a major cultural hub for Vietnamese Americans. Several Vietnamese-language TV and radio stations, and newspapers, are based here. Examples include the newspapers Nguoi Viet and Vien Dong Daily News.

You can also find TV channels like Little Saigon TV and SBTN TV. Radio stations like Little Saigon Radio (KVNR AM 1480) and Radio Bolsa (KALI-FM 106.3 FM) broadcast in Vietnamese. Many businesses in Little Saigon advertise on these channels.

Little Saigon is also a big center for Vietnamese pop music. Many recording studios are here. Vietnamese music recorded in Westminster is sold around the world, including in the United States, Australia, France, and Germany. The US headquarters of the popular Vietnamese music company, Thuy Nga, is in Westminster.

The Tet Festival in Little Saigon, Orange County, California.

An annual Vietnamese Lunar New Year festival is held at Garden Grove Park. This festival takes place in late January or early February. It features rides, dances, and contests. The Union of Vietnamese Student Association (UVSA) hosts this event.

Politics and Community Spirit

The Asian Garden Plaza, showing the flag of the former South Vietnam.

Many people in Westminster's Little Saigon are very strong supporters of capitalism and are against communism. Even after the United States and Vietnam became friends again in 1995, older Vietnamese people still feel strongly about the Vietnam War and its effects.

The 1999 Ho Chi Minh Protest

Before the Tết (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) celebrations in 1999, a video store owner named Truong Van Tran displayed a picture of Vietnamese communist leader Ho Chi Minh. This made many local Vietnamese Americans very angry. Many of them were war veterans, refugees, or immigrants from South Vietnam.

People held large protests and demonstrations outside the store. They waved South Vietnamese flags. The store owner was later arrested for other reasons. This event, known as the Hi-Tek Incident, also brought up questions about free speech in the United States.

Even with strong anti-communist feelings, many Vietnamese Americans still send money to their families in Vietnam. Stores also sell products imported from Vietnam.

Vietnamese American Leaders

Because there are so many Vietnamese Americans in Westminster and Garden Grove, they have a lot of political influence. Many have been elected to public office in these cities. In 2007, the top two candidates for a county supervisor position were Vietnamese Americans. The winner became the first Vietnamese American county supervisor in the nation.

Several Vietnamese Americans serve on the city councils of Garden Grove and Westminster. They have worked to have the former South Vietnamese flag recognized. In 2003, they helped raise money for a Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Westminster. This memorial honors American and South Vietnamese soldiers. In 2004, Van Tran became the first Vietnamese American elected to a state legislature in California.

Generations and Politics

Orange County is a strong area for the Republican party. Most Vietnamese Americans in Little Saigon are registered Republicans. However, younger Vietnamese Americans, especially those born in the U.S., are sometimes Democratic. They are more interested in issues affecting working people in the U.S. rather than old politics from Vietnam. Still, more Vietnamese Americans are registered Republicans (55%) than Democrats (22%).

The Future of Little Saigon

Over time, the Vietnamese American population has started to spread out from Little Saigon. They are moving to cities like Santa Ana, Huntington Beach, and Fountain Valley.

Little Saigon has seen many small businesses open and close. But new developments are also happening. Recently, a phở restaurant in the area won a famous award. This shows how Vietnamese culture is becoming more recognized in the region.