Why Westminster? Eleven reasons the Vietnamese came to Little Saigon – and why they stayed – OC Register (Apr. 30, 2015)

1. Camp Pendleton

After Saigon fell in 1975, the United States accepted roughly 130,000 Vietnamese refugees. They were dispersed to military bases in four states: 10,000 to Florida, 22,000 to Pennsylvania, 51,000 to Arkansas and 50,000 to Camp Pendleton. So right out of the gate, more than one-third landed in Southern California.

Photo by Jim Mosby 

2. Churches

Refugees needed sponsors – families to provide assistance and find them housing – before they could leave Pendleton. Orange County churches urged parishioners to do so. “Every parish was involved,” says Father Eamon O’Gorman, a retired Catholic priest in Fullerton.

Photo by Kevin Lara, staff photographer

3. Housing

Rent was affordable in Westminster, Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Anaheim, Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach. More than 18,000 Vietnamese moved into these six cities within their first five years here.

Photo by Ana Venegas, staff photographer

4. Resettlement agencies

Orange County had an abundance of refugee resettlement agencies – including Lutheran Social Services, Share Our Selves, Catholic Social Services and St. Anselm’s Cross-Cultural Community Center – that taught the newcomers how to speak English, how to write resumes and how to adjust to life in America.

Photo courtesy of the UCI Vietnamese American Oral History Project, VAOHP0041

5. Weather

Orange County’s warm climate mimicked the weather in their homeland. That not only kept refugees here, but it also lured Vietnamese who initially settled in colder parts of the country

Photo by Mark Rightmire, staff photographer

6. Jobs

In the 1970s and ’80s, Orange County offered many assembly-line jobs in the computer, electronics and defense industries that required few language or technical skills. This also contributed to the second migration of Vietnamese here from around the nation.

File photo

7. Land

By 1980, more refugees lived in Santa Ana, Garden Grove and Huntington Beach than in Westminster. But Westminster offered something none of the others had: a large swath of undervalued commercial property. Land along Bolsa Avenue was cheap. And available. Without this, Little Saigon never could have grown to the more than 3,500 businesses it is home to today.

Courtesy of the Jao Foundation 

8. Boat people

The second great wave of Vietnamese began in 1979 with the arrival of about 44,000 “boat people.” Throughout the 1980s, more than 800,000 refugees arrived. This continual influx drove business along Bolsa and triggered a development boom.

Photo by Mark Rightmire, staff photographer

9. Critical mass

By 1979, Bolsa Avenue included Danh’s Pharmacy, Que Huong grocery, Hoa Binh Market and Thanh My restaurant. Newcomers could buy authentic Vietnamese food in Orange County. They could get prescriptions filled in Vietnamese. They could buy insurance from agents who spoke Vietnamese. This created a momentum that quickly reached a critical mass. By 1981, there were more than 300 businesses along Bolsa. By 1984, there were more than 600.

Photo by Jeff Gritchen, staff photographer

10. Developer with a vision

Vietnamese refugee Frank Jao opened Bridgecreek Development along Bolsa in 1978. He saw the potential for a Vietnamese business district and began buying land. At its peak, Bridgecreek owned one-third of all Little Saigon property, including the Asian Garden Mall.

Photo by Ana Venegas, staff photographer

11. Ideology

The refugees had different customs, foods and language than conservative Orange County. But their anti-communist politics and work ethic proved to be a good match that kept them here. And kept them thriving. Their outpost on Bolsa Avenue grew into the largest enclave of Vietnamese outside of Vietnam – Little Saigon.

Photo by Chas Metivier, file photo