Staying Vietnamese: Community and Place in Orange County and Boston

Abstract

Orange County, California, is a “postsuburban” region known for its sprawl and its cultural homogeneity. There, Vietnamese Americans have established a large commercial and residential district clearly marked by freeway signs, recognized by city government, and labeled the “Capital of Vietnamese America.” On the other hand, in Boston, Massachusetts, an old city known for its neighborhoods teeming with immigrants, Vietnamese Americans have had difficulty in establishing a distinct and identifiable place. Bostonians who are not Vietnamese may not know that Fields Corner is the city's “Vietnamese village.” Since Boston's Chinatown also contains Vietnamese, the distinction between Fields Corner and Chinatown can be blurry. Could it be that each community actually reverses the dynamics of place in each region—creating a strong, central place in a culturally homogenous and spatially decentralized post‐suburb, but failing to create a very strong place in an old city reputed for its immigrant neighborhoods? If so, a paradox appears. I identify the patterns involving community and place that have produced paradoxical outcomes in Orange County and Boston. I show that Vietnamese American leaders use place—as a site for interaction, as an anchor for identity, and as a symbol of belonging—to define and strengthen their communities. I argue that part of “becoming American” requires “staying Vietnamese,” and that place making is key to this process.