We have some very exciting news! As you know, we at Saigon Pete’s have been looking into ways to ensure we are able to feed all of the hungry mouths around Tidewater but have not quite been able to accomplish that goal. Well, we can no longer say that! We are proud to announce that Saigon Pete’s will be adding two new food trucks to our existing fleet so we can be sure to be wherever hungry mouths need us. The trucks will be hitting the streets in a few short weeks, and we can hardly contain ourselves; however, we still need to figure out where we can send these new trucks. If you are a fan of Saigon Pete’s, comment below and let us know where you want to see us show up. Parks, businesses, malls, and everything in between is fair game. We simply…
One of the great importance to the growth of Little Saigon, was the strong sense of community that was established by the Vietnamese Americans. It was likely that the socioeconomic diversity of the Vietnamese population played an instrumental role in creating such an interconnected occupational structure and enabling them to build a community. They were lumped together as downtrodden “refugees,” which masks their internal differences, such as how they escape, arrived, and the variations in their social economic status. Although as refugees, they did lack material capital, but they however came with a range of human and social capital, most notably the first wave that arrived in 1975. Nonetheless, to see such capital in action, we first have…
A Vietnamese Immigrant on the West Coast was written by James M. Freeman in South Asia. The subjects of this primary source were focused on Vietnamese Immigrant in America. However, the main purpose of this primary source was mainly about anonymous man family “escaped by boat from Vietnam and arrived in Hong Kong” (315). They remained three month and move to America, to live in his brother’s house for five months, but after he decided to move to West Coast; but he is always moving place to place and town to town (315).…
Ha is challenged by where she lives and when she living because she lives in the middle of the Vietnam war which was 20 years long and she said “I’m glad we've become poor can stay.” indicating that most likely her family never leaves. Ha has to face maturing at a very young age that is another challenge she has to face at 10. Ha is also challenged by when she lived because she had to lose her father to the war at a very young age.…
Haven’t seen you and dad for a long time. I still remember that day I went to the army to train and be ready to go to Vietnam. Not really sure why we were doing this. But that’s what America offered for us. I wish I could go to college with my best friend Jeff. Do you remember him? The guy who usually came to our house to play with me. I can still remember when we were kids, we broke the flower vase you just bought. You were really mad at me, you almost wanted to punish me. And Jeff said that it’s all me. That’s a good memory for me. But you know what, he died. He just died this morning. Like 3:00am. I couldn’t, I just couldn’t. He was ordered by me. I killed him, our captain ordered ask to patrol the village. And I asked him to do it for me. Like I don’t know. It just happened. He saved me, he shouldn’t die. The vietnamese fired all the village. I could not even find his body. This is really ridiculous, he died for me. But he got nothing, except he will get a name imprint on the memorial.…
First off, trip to Vietnam was truly a blessing. I did not expect so much of the trip until the first day I arrived Vietnam. On my first day, I got an opportunity to meet many great people who were selfless; those who cared more about others rather than themselves. It took approximately 14hours in total to arrive at hotel. Even though the plane ride was only about 5hours, since it was a group trip, it took extra time to ensure everyone is in right place. Despite the exhaustion and drowsiness, no one complained but encouraged others. I was already touched by grace of God before we even began our mission trip. On the second day, I volunteered for the medical service. There were two activities including the medical service, and house painting…
I grew up in Saigon, Vietnam. I lived in a place where it can be considered the borderline between the city and the countryside. We didn’t have a distinct suburban area, just city and not-city basically.…
When asked where his home is, he responds with, "I have no home in Vietnam, I have nothing there. I have no relatives in Vietnam, but I still miss it. This is my home". His thoughts on the future of his family are even more powerful, as he explains how his life in the United States is greater than that in Vietnam, "Of course, of course. Freedom. Authority to do anything you like. Everything is better... This is the best country, and I have traveled to a lot of different countries, not just…
It’s hard for a child who grew up along the coast of Lake Michigan, to begin to grasp the contrast between such inescapable poverty and the prosperity of the United States with its gleaming cities, preserved interstates stretching across the country, steel bridges, telephone lines encompassing every corner of the country, polished cars lining sidewalks, and running water. It’s harder still to describe.…
There were various philosophies that the Chinese spread to the Vietnamese. All of these philosophies had a strong focus on worshiping those who have passed. One of these philosophies being Taoism. According to the presentation, Taoism is divided into different sections. These sections are then brought together by the shared beliefs of the sections. In Taoism, when a death occurs, the Taoists bury the dead depending on their age and status. While they are being buried, the people who are grieving must be extremely loud when the priest is reciting Taoist scripture. This is one thing that differs from American burials. People are supposed to not make any noise at burials, not scream bloody murder. Once the Taoist burial is over, the family who held the burial must have a feast for those who attended the burial.…
I always keep this poem and picture in my wallet. I take it everywhere with me because it means quite a lot to me in two very different ways. One of those ways is because it holds sentimental value. When I was younger I learned to read very late in life and I was always so embarrassed of that. My father knew that I was struggling and bought me the book, Where the Sidewalk Ends. It is a book full of poems and little pictures written by Shel Silverstein. I remember opening the book to ta random page, and it was the page with this poem. I then remember my dad asking me to read it to him. I was so uncomfortable, even thought I was just going to be reading to my dad. He gave me some words of encouragement, and even thought I was not able to read…
I visited a Vietnamese Buddhist temple in West Palm Beach, and I was able to partake in some of their religious practices. There are many Vietnamese people in Florida, so the temples where created in order to provide people with the chance to practice Buddhism and express the cultural values. The form of Buddhism I experienced was Mahayana. Mahayana Buddhism developed during the first century. The Mahayana believe in and follow the Pali Canon. Those who practice Mahayana Buddhism also welcome the Mahayana literature that was originally written in Sanskrit and later changed to different languages such as Chinese and Tibetan. Mahayana literature honors various Buddha’s and bodhisattvas. The Mahayana literature encourages many individuals to…
There is a line from a great movie, Forrest Gump, that many who watch, never forget. "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.” I am pretty much positive when I say that this is how my mom felt 17 years ago when the doctor told her she was having twins. My life has been a series of matching clothes, the same hairstyle and the words “I will have what she is having.” Despite basically being a carbon copy, being a twin is one of the best things life has given me.…
The impending storm breeze catches the scent of the raging battle, characterized by the odor of blood mixed with the fresh rain. Only one town over, the sky is clear; the only other indication of bloodshed being the rising plumes of smoke in the distance.…
First of all, the most significant difference between America and Vietnam is the living style. As I lived in Vietnam for more than 19 years, I found that Vietnamese people are very busy, they have to work all the times include weekend to earn for their living. In rush hours, many people from the worker to the engineers spill over the street for their works or going home. That causes the traffic jam every day. Even though they are busy like that, still they spend a lot of time to take care of their children. Vietnamese parents are stricter than the Americans; they do not allow their children to hang out with their friends everyday or to sleep overnight in somewhere. In some family, some children cannot have girlfriends or boyfriends during middle school or high school. Moreover, Vietnamese parents may take care for their children throughout their children’s life. So the children can live with their parent in a house if they want. Therefore Vietnamese family is an extended family, which means one Vietnamese house may contain a huge family with many generations from the great grand parents to the great- grandchild. In addition, when the children grow up, they have the responsibility to take care their family including their parents. At that time, the parents will retire and spend lot of time at home with their children or their niece. Another special tradition of Vietnam is its married custom. Formerly, the ideal…