"V" is for Vietnamese

(Update:  A bit more double posting before the NO trip; the second post for today will follow later. I'm almost organized, yay! When the A-Z Challenge and we catch our breaths, I'd like to return to Vietnam.  My husband and I have visited the country twice, got deep into the mountainous areas (and into Laos), and enjoyed our trips immensely.  So, later, a couple of stories.)

When Saigon fell in April, 1975, about 100,000 Vietnamese sought refuge in the United States.  The majority went to California, then spread out, with Louisiana now having the second largest community in the U.S. (Texas also has a large community.)  Approximately 25,000 Vietnamese-Americans live in Louisiana, most in the greater New Orleans area, and constitute 44% of the Asian population in the state.

Most were drawn to South Louisiana by the area's ethnic diversity, opportunities in the seafood industry, the majority Catholic population, and the rather (ha!) humid climate.  The Catholic Church worked to sponsor many of the early refugees.  Buddhist refugees also found a safe haven, particularly in Baton Rouge, the state's capital, where they built a Buddhist temple.

Whereas early refugees struggled with language barriers, most of their children melted into an English-speaking environment.  Many set academic records. Even though most Vietnamese-Americans are bi-lingual today, language barriers do remain.  During the BP Oil Spill, the company had to bring in translators to communicate with some of the fishermen.

I learned from several blogs and articles written by Vietnamese-Americans that most immigrants did here what they would have done in their home country: fish the waters or run small restaurants.  Indeed, Vietnamese restaurants dot the New Orleans landscape.  Some are gaining recognition in national magazines for skills that challenge more established restaurants.

Whereas books and movies often romanticize glowing Gulf of Mexico sunsets (which they are), the reality is that a fisherman or shrimper's life is hard-scrapple work that quickly turns away those who aren't willing to commit to the work involved.  The seafood industry is more than a bamboo pole and a hook.  It is, upon occasion, also a cut-throat industry.  Many Louisianians born into the lifestyle have left or are leaving for employment elsewhere.  In many respects, the Vietnamese fishermen helped fill the void.

In 2009, Joseph Quang Cao became the first Vietnamese-American to be elected to Congress, the first Republican elected from the 2nd Congressional District (mostly New Orleans) since 1891. Apparently, once elected, Congressman Cao went too far right for his constituents and didn't get re-elected. Politics remains politics after all.  Nothing new here -- except that Congressman Cao both won and lost in a district with Vietnamese-American constituents. Issues mattered more than ethnicity to voters.  Regardless of one's political stripe, this is democracy in action.

Former Congressman Joseph Quang Cao  (Wikipedia)

Vietnamese fishing boats in Buras, Louisiana -- way down 'the boot.'  (Times Picayune)

Tam Bao Temple in Baton Rouge 

Monk at the Temple.

Since food reigns in Louisiana, Pho, a noodle soup, found a happy home. (I looove Pho!)