A Brief History of Little Saigon

Appears in
Little Saigon Cookbook: Vietnamese Cuisine And Culture In Southern California's Little Saigon
Little Saigon Cookbook

By Ann Le

Published 2011

  • About
Not just another ethnic community, Little Saigon is an evolving culture and a living, breathing symbol of survival.

Between 1975 and 2000 more than two million Vietnamese fled their homeland. The first two waves of mass emigration are known as vuot biên (translated as “to flee by sea”). My parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles were among those who escaped Vietnam as boat people, leaving their homes just three days before the fall of Saigon in April 1975. Their escape was fueled by rumors of a Communist-led bloodbath.