Just over two miles southeast of the modern skyscrapers and trendy shops of downtown San Jose lies a more familiar setting of sprawling strip malls, wide parking lots, and large retail stores. Within this classic American backdrop lies the Grand Century Mall, the heart of San Jose’s Little Saigon. While Vietnamese-American communities exist across the United States, San Jose’s Vietnamese ethnic enclave holds a rich history tracing back to the fall of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, known as Saigon.
With a current population of approximately one million, San Jose is the most populated city in Northern California. Among its population are roughly 143,000 Vietnamese residents, making up about 14% of the city’s total population. This represents one of the largest Vietnamese communities outside of Vietnam.
The roots of Vietnamese culture in San Jose trace back to the fall of Saigon in 1975, which marked the end of the Vietnam War. In response, the U.S. accepted around 130,000 refugees, many of whom were well-educated and skilled workers. These individuals were temporarily stationed in Guam, the Philippines, and Wake Island before setting foot on the U.S. mainland. When they arrived, many Vietnamese refugees were transferred to housing in U.S. military bases.
Around the same time, as San Jose was establishing itself as a major tech hub, many Vietnamese-Americans contributed to Silicon Valley’s booming tech industry. “We didn’t just live here. We helped build the landscape,” Betty Duong said in an interview with ABC 7 News. “So many of our parents worked on the assembly line of Silicon Valley.”…