Introduction
After the fall of Saigon in 1975, the United States witnessed an increase in the first arrival of Vietnamese immigrants. According to Lee (2020), this arrival primarily consisted of military personnel and urban professionals who either worked with the South Vietnamese government or the U.S. military. They took their families with them, and there were estimated to be 125000 individuals (Lee, 2020). Subsequently, in the late 1970s, the United States witnessed yet another wave of Vietnamese refugees.
After the evacuation stage of the first cohort, Operation New Arrivals facilitated the transition of the immigration process from the Pacific staging areas into the U.S. through four entry points. These locations formed the basis of the initial settlement of the Vietnamese immigrants (Kelly, 2019). They include California, Arkansas, Florida, and Pennsylvania.
Challenges Faced by Vietnamese Immigrants in the U.S.
Occupational Challenges
The first challenge Vietnamese immigrant workers with low English ability had to overcome was the language barrier. Similarly, the Vietnamese refugees in the fishing sector encountered prejudice upon their arrival during the 1970s and 1980s (Yu, 2020). White fishermen claimed that their Vietnamese-American counterparts were unfairly undercutting them.
Social Challenges
Vietnamese immigrants mostly came to the United States as refugees and often had little to no money. In their settlements and neighborhoods, poor housing, healthcare, and low education were the order of the day. As a result, these conditions led to adverse outcomes in Vietnamese neighborhoods (Shih et al., 2019). The group also struggled to adapt to the new culture and norms different from their country, leading to feelings of isolation and homesickness.
Students’ Challenges
Vietnamese American kids find it challenging to succeed in school for various reasons. Their low English proficiency created a significant communication barrier, often leading to miscommunication among students, teachers, and parents (Khanal & Gaulee, 2019). Moreover, the students faced prejudice and racial discrimination based on their language, culture, and ethnicity (Lee & Waters, 2021). These challenges ultimately affected their self-esteem and mental health.
Occupation of Vietnamese Immigrants
Most first-generation Vietnamese immigrants began their careers in low-wage positions in specialized businesses, as most were military personnel and urban professionals. This group survived the hardship of getting blue-collar jobs that the second wave had to cope with due to an inadequate educational background and work experience.
Passed Immigration Laws and Supreme Court Cases
The Johnson-Reed Act of 1924 was a federal law in the United States that restricted immigration from the nations in the Eastern Hemisphere and prohibited immigration from Asia, including Vietnamese refugees. The Act established an overall immigration capacity of 165,000 for nations except those in the Western Hemisphere (Tran, 2020). The Act replaced prior immigration measures and effectively outlawed the prior laws on Asian emigration.
The United States Refugee Act of 1980 amended the Johnson-Reed Act of 1924 to provide a comprehensive and uniform set of protections for the effective relocation and uptake of refugees admitted to the U.S. The legislation’s primary goal was to redefine a refugee, following the definition established by the United Nations Convention and Regulations on the Status of Immigrants.
Supreme Court Cases
One of the monumental Supreme Court cases about Vietnamese Americans is Kha v. Holder (2009), which involved a group of Vietnamese immigrants who sought asylum in the United States. The Supreme Court ruled that certain Vietnamese immigrants who had arrived in the U.S. before the passage of a 2008 law were not eligible for asylum.
Community-Based Organizations
Various activist organizations upheld the rights and cultural values of Vietnamese Americans. These organizations, among others, include the non-profit Vietnamese American National Gala, the Vietnamese American community of Southern California, and the Vietnamese American Federation of Southern California (Tran, 2020). These communities offer a myriad of services to Vietnamese refugees, including promoting and protecting the cultural identity of Vietnamese people.
Conclusion
Vietnamese Americans and Asian Americans, in general, have experienced political, social, and economic challenges. These include racial prejudice and discrimination, where Asian Americans frequently encounter racism, including racist violence and bias in workplaces and housing. According to Lee and Waters (2021), many Asian Americans struggle to integrate into a new dialect. This might limit their ability to access opportunities and resources.
The Vietnamese American community has produced several public figures in politics, business, media, and other sectors. These individuals include Congressman Joseph Cao, Senator Joe Nguyen of Washington State, and Jacqueline Nguyen, the first federal judge from the Vietnamese American community. The intriguing part of this research is how the Vietnamese rose to a higher income and job market ladder despite being illiterate during emigration. According to Alperin and Batalova (2018), the median household income of Vietnamese immigrants is relatively higher than that of other groups in the U.S. However, the biggest question is how they developed such resilience to overcome all challenges and rise to their level.
The fall of Saigon city in Vietnam changed the lives and history of Vietnamese citizens forever. From the first wave of evacuation to the last wave, Vietnamese people have been forced to live a life they never imagined, some going as far as losing all their family members, others left with traumatic images of war and its effects.
References
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