A collective memoir of community reimagining, The Making of Little Saigon orchestrates the voices of activists, writers, artists, entrepreneurs, and scholars who have inhabited and nurtured Little Saigon, Orange County, California, into a beloved sanctuary—a sumptuous enclave of Vietnamese refugees and immigrants in the US. This constellation of narratives chronicles collective memories of settlement, nostalgia, (dis)enchantments, and aspirations as the community has evolved over time. From oceanic crossings to forging a new home, every story interweaves and reverberates with a history of pain and beauty, disunity and solidarity, failure, and resilience as the community careens forward into an uncertain future.

Colonialism and war disrupted the lives of millions of Vietnamese people during the 20th century. These are their stories.

Miss Saigon (PVG) presents 12 songs from Boublil & Schonberg’s hit musical, Miss Saigon. Each song has been freshly engraved for piano and voice, with accompanying lyrics, allowing you to relive the beauty and drama of the show. With beautiful and faithful transciptions, alongside full-colour photography, this book is an essential purchase for any fan. Songlist: - The Heat Is On In Saigon - The Movie In My Mind - Why God Why? - Sun And Moon - The Last Night Of The World - I Still Believe - I’d Give My Life For You - Bui-doi - What A Waste - Too Much For One Heart - Maybe - The American Dream

Karin Aguilar-San Juan examines the contradictions of Vietnamese American community and identity in two emblematic yet different locales: Little Saigon in suburban Orange County, California (widely described as the capital of Vietnamese America) and the urban "Vietnamese town" of Fields Corner in Boston, Massachusetts. Their distinctive qualities challenge assumptions about identity and space, growth amid globalization, and processes of Americanization. With a comparative and race-cognizant approach, Aguilar-San Juan shows how places like Little Saigon and Fields Corner are sites for the simultaneous preservation and redefinition of Vietnamese identity. Intervening in debates about race, ethnicity, multiculturalism, and suburbanization as a form of assimilation, this work elaborates on the significance of place as an integral element of community building and its role in defining Vietnamese American-ness. Staying Vietnamese, according to Aguilar-San Juan, is not about replicating life in Viet Nam. Rather, it involves moving toward a state of equilibrium that, though always in flux, allows refugees, immigrants, and their U.S.-born offspring to recalibrate their sense of self in order to become Vietnamese anew in places far from their presumed geographic home.

Vietnamese Americans have transformed the social, cultural, economic, and political life of Orange County, California. Previously, there were Vietnamese international students, international or war brides, or military personnel living in the United States, but the majority arrived as refugees and immigrants after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Although they are lumped together as "refugees," Vietnamese Americans are diverse in terms of their class, ethnic, regional, religious, linguistic, and ideological backgrounds. Their migration path varied, and they often struggled with resettling in a new homeland and rebuilding their lives. They are dispersed throughout the country, but many are concentrated in central Orange County, where three cities--Westminster, Garden Grove, and Santa Ana--have "Welcome to Little Saigon" signs. They constitute the largest population of Vietnamese outside of Vietnam and have created flourishing residential neighborhoods and bustling commercial centers and contribute to the political and cultural life of the region. This book captures snapshots of Vietnamese life in Orange County over the span of 40 years and shows a dynamic, vibrant community that is revitalizing the region.