Vietnam to Austin:

Vietnam to Austin: Restoring Community was a historical exhibit presented by the Austin History Center in partnership with the Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation on display from February 21 to July 17, 2009. This exhibit was the first Asian American exhibit at the Austin History Center and one of the first of its kind in the country. An opening reception was held on March 7, 2009 at the Austin History Center. The exhibit and program was developed by the Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation and Community Archivist Esther Chung Martin.

The exhibit comprised of displays of community-sourced archival material focused on the history, transition, and contributions of local Vietnamese Americans in Austin. Each display wove personal stories of endurance and triumph illustrating their incredible journeys and the ways they have embraced Austin as their new home. All of the historic photographs, documents, periodicals, and other archival material collected for the exhibit has been archived with the Austin History Center as the  Vietnam to Austin: Restoring Community Exhibit Collection  (AR-2009-048). This online iteration presents a selection of narratives from the original exhibition.

From the 1980s to 2000s, Vietnamese Americans were the largest Asian American population in Austin. Many were drawn to this city for its warm climate, job opportunities, plentiful resources, and supportive community. As a result, hundreds of Vietnamese-owned businesses sprouted up all over town including restaurants, nail salons, supermarkets, and video stores that added tremendous economic growth to the city. As a result, many organizations, programs, and religious institutions developed to serve this growing population.

It is believed that the history of Vietnam dates back over 4,000 years. Because of a thousand years of Chinese imperial domination, much of the Chinese governmental and societal structure was adopted. In the 19th century, European colonial rule and the influence of Buddhism and Christianity shaped the country; however, the Vietnamese still kept alive a vibrant culture and language of their own through poetry and folk traditions.

France withdrew its colonial interests in 1954. Soon after, the United States began supporting the republican government of South Vietnam against the Communist government of North Vietnam. For the next 21 years, Vietnam became a contested battleground and on April 30, 1975, South Vietnam surrendered to the North after the Communist North Vietnamese Army took control of Saigon. The War in Vietnam had a tremendous human impact. American casualties are well documented: 2,500,000 Americans served, 58,135 Americans died in the war, 303,616 were wounded, and 35,000 American civilians were killed. While Vietnamese statistics are far less exact, the war had a much larger impact on them. Over 1.9 million Vietnamese (North and South) died in the war, 3.2 million were wounded, and over 14 million lost their homes and became refugees. In South Vietnam alone, the war created 300,000 orphans and 131,000 widows. From the fall of Saigon until 1982 more than 1.2 million Vietnamese resettled in 16 countries, including the U.S. It is estimated that over a million of these immigrants left Vietnam by boat, called “Boat People,” and over 500,000 did not survive the trip.

Refugees from Vietnam left in the thousands and arrived at refugee camps in Guam, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Many escaped by boat and others would leave through the Orderly Departure Program (ODP) that was facilitated by the U.S. and permitted by the North Vietnamese government in 1979. Some refugees made a home in Asian countries, but most would filter into new host countries in Europe and the United States.

Approximately 500,000 Vietnamese people came to the U.S. through the ODP, but arriving in the U.S. was only the first step. The transition for Vietnamese people to American life had many challenges. Charitable organizations stepped in and offered assistance in grappling with the most basic needs such as housing and employment. Vietnamese refugees found Austin welcoming, with willing Americans helping them navigate a place where the language and their lack of resources created enormous barriers to a normal life.

There were about 2000 Vietnamese refugees in Austin by 1980. Many of them received assistance with their transitional period through the Caritas refugee program and the help of their sponsors such as Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church.

Once Vietnamese refugees arrived in the United States, they faced many hardships settling into their new homes. They had to learn English, obtain job training, find employment, secure housing, and provide education for their children. Some families also had to find assistance for their elderly parents. This was in addition to the challenge of becoming accustomed to a new culture and foreign surroundings. Nevertheless, with the strength and endurance gained from their struggles, many Vietnamese Americans received the education and training necessary to become skilled workers and professionals in many different fields. Vietnamese refugees worked hard to find success in their new country. 

Religion is an important part of the Vietnamese American community and has played a significant role in restoring the faiths of many individuals and families in their new home. The two major religions are Buddhism and Catholicism.

The largest Vietnamese Buddhist Temple is Linh-Son. It was established in 1983 and has two locations, one in Leander and a smaller temple in north Austin. On special events such as Lunar New Year, Buddha’s Birthday, Autumn Festival, and Buddhist Mother’s Day, there are over 500 people who gather to celebrate and worship at the 1,500 sq. ft temple in Leander. The main goals of Linh-Son Buddhist Temple are to provide Buddhist teachings and spiritual guidance and offer activities that teach Vietnamese language to kids and adults.

The largest Vietnamese Catholic Church is the Holy Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church. On September 2, 1975, Father Joseph Van Anh Nguyen was assigned to Sacred Heart Parish in Austin to take care of refugees in central and southern regions. In 1987, Father Joseph Nguyen was transferred to St. Joseph Church in Manor to serve the 120 families of the Vietnamese Catholic community. As the congregation grew, so did the need for their own facility, and in 1990, the church moved into their own building on Yager Lane to accommodate the increasing number of parishioners.

Brought together by a shared cultural history and experiences of displacement, Vietnamese Americans in Austin have created various community organizations to ensure their memories, culture, and identity are preserved and shared with the next generation.

This 180,000 sq. foot retail center is located in North Austin at the intersection of N. Lamar and W. Braker Lane and includes over 20 Asian-owned businesses and organizations. Having opened in 2006, Chinatown’s largest store is MT Supermarket, a 68,000 square-foot grocery store that sells a variety of seafood, produce, and Asian food items. Many Vietnamese stores and restaurants also serve the growing population of Asians within the 5-mile radius of Chinatown.

Dr. Chat Thiet started the Vietnamese bilingual program in 1983 at Walnut Creek Elementary School. This program offers students, whose primary language is Vietnamese, help with their classwork to make the transition into English-only classrooms easier. It also provides in-class and after-school programs that teach Vietnamese culture and language so that the students can maintain their own heritage. The students showcase what they learn in these programs at various festivals and the Lunar New Year Festival called Tết. Now serving over 200 students, the AISD Vietnamese bilingual program moved from Walnut Creek Elementary School to Summit Elementary School in 2008 where it continues today. 

In 2004, VAHF was formed to provide resources about Vietnamese Americans to researchers, students, policymakers, and the general public. The goal is to collect materials about the history and culture of Vietnamese people in America. This work continues through an oral history project to document the unique life experiences of Vietnamese Americans in their own words. They also have a collection of over 200,000 pages of documents, images, official records and personal correspondence that highlight the moral and humanitarian contributions of the United States to its South Vietnamese allies. This collection is now housed at the  Vietnam Center at Texas Tech University  in Lubbock. VAHF has collaborated with The University of Texas, the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, Austin History Center, and other institutions to organize exhibitions. VAHF members have also organized several programs to honor well-known individuals in both the Vietnamese American community and the general public.

The Vietnamese American community in Austin is energetic and flourishing, as personified by this group of young people at a Youth Leadership Development Camp sponsored by the Vietnamese Culture and Science Association (VCSA). Founded in 1990, VCSA is based in Houston with over 500 members, mostly young Vietnamese American professionals in U.S. and Canada. VCSA promotes excellence in education and leadership and encourages civic participation through various events and programs. VCSA-Austin Chapter started in 2001.