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By Mike Tharp

Chuyen Van Nguyen was a patriotic 21-year-old South Vietnamese fighter pilot when he left Saigon in 1975. With his wife, 5-year-old brother, and 2-month-old son, he came to America, fleeing certain persecution and possible death at the hands of the victorious North Vietnamese. For a while, he worked manual labor jobs near Dallas. But then he found the community of Westminster, Calif., now the heart of Little Saigon. With its pastel-colored buildings and small groceries selling Asian foods, it was almost like coming home.

Today, Nguyen's son, Vu, is a 25-year-old college student and freelance journalist in Southern California. A big Lakers fan, he studies Marxism in his college classes, uses words like "cool" and "dude," and has tattoos on both arms. He has never tasted the sugar-cane juice his mother makes at her shop, Vien Tay, in Little Saigon. In 1997, he visited Vietnam. "It was a horrible experience," he recalls. "They've got dirt roads, people were burning trash on the side of the road–I can't believe I came from there."

The Nguyens' generational split has occurred in all cultures through the ages, particularly among immigrant groups, but the divide is especially deep within the Vietnamese-American community. Twenty-five years after the fall of South Vietnam, nearly 2 million Vietnamese in America are trying to come to terms with their identity, but in this quest, family members and neighbors often fail to find common cause.

Waiting room. For the older generations, life in America is nothing less than involuntary exile, a way station until the Communists are somehow toppled and they're able to return triumphantly to their homeland. "We are almost like Cubans," says Mai Cong, president of the Vietnamese Community Center, a social services agency. "You try to control your emotions and move on, but we remember why we are here."

Way station or not, Little Saigon provides the sights and smells of the old country. Along Bolsa Avenue, east of the 405 Freeway, there are several blocks where the signs are more likely to be in Vietnamese than in English. Pagodalike structures anchor the corners, and many of the office buildings are painted in the pinks, blues, and greens of old Saigon. There are Vietnamese cemeteries, newspaper offices, vegetable stalls, beauty salons, and herbal shops–all catering to an Asian clientele, often with music playing from one of the several Vietnamese radio stations in the area.

An accident of geography, Little Saigon sprouted up in 1975 when Vietnamese refugees were flown to the Marine base at Camp Pendleton, a few miles south of Westminster. Many of them stayed in the area. At the same time, church groups in militantly anti-Communist Orange County were sponsoring refugee families. By the time Nguyen and his family got there, this barren slice of Orange County had been transformed. Even the smallest things were better. "The rice and nuoc mam [fish sauce] were so cheap," recalls Nguyen, now an aide to a California state senator. "In Texas, I had to drive an hour to find them." Today, Orange County and southern Los Angeles represent the nation's largest concentration of Vietnamese.

Deep-seated emotions. It is also where the fight against communism and the North Vietnamese still rages. When a video-shop owner in Little Saigon hung up a North Vietnamese flag inside his store last year, anti-Communist protesters thronged outside for seven weeks of often harsh protest. And earlier this year, dozens of people marched outside an Oakland, Calif., art gallery that was showing portraits of Ho Chi Minh, the late North Vietnamese leader, painted by an American artist.

Tony Lam, 63, is a two-term city councilman in Westminster and the first Vietnamese-American elected official in the United States. He also owns a restaurant in Little Saigon. But because he didn't support a hard-line stance on the flag issue, some community members picketed his restaurant for 73 days. Lam says he spent $143,000 in legal fees, his business dropped 40 percent, and he eventually was forced to move to another site. "I lost my country, and I left behind the bones of my ancestors," he says, weeping. "Yet they subjected me to this."

Another leader, Co Pham, was targeted because he came out in favor of diplomatic ties and increased trade and investment with Vietnam and hosted delegations from there. "I'm the constructive opposition to Vietnam," he says. "Hopefully we can help the chances of democracy there." But conservative activists regularly lobby against rapprochement with Vietnam. They insist that any improvement of U.S.-Vietnamese relations must be linked to more political freedom there. The community's intolerance has even led to death threats. "These incidents cause our community to take a step backward from our journey to be a civil society," says Phu Nguyen, 22, a California State University-Fullerton student and past president of the Vietnamese Students Association.

Yet tensions used to be worse. Jeff Brody, an assistant professor at Cal State-Fullerton who teaches courses in the Vietnamese-American experience, reports in an unpublished paper that between 1981 and 1990, five Vietnamese-American journalists were murdered in the United States. Right-wing anti-Communist groups claimed credit for the killings, and there were 17 other violent acts directed at Vietnamese-Americans who were seen as soft on Vietnam by hard-liners. "The FBI investigated [one] case, but made no progress–the same as in the other deaths," he writes.

"We see all this infighting, redbaiting, neo-McCarthyism–it's a bummer," says Nguyen's son Vu, the student and freelance writer. "The older generation sees Vietnam as communist. We see it as Vietnamese."

Heavy baggage. But Vu was a baby when he left Vietnam. Many of the older immigrants were soldiers on a losing side or were jailed after the North's victory, or both. And these veterans, like their American counterparts, suffer from post-traumatic stress disorders and severe bouts of depression. They have also seen little upward mobility in their new land: Unlike other East Asian groups in America, the Vietnamese are primarily working class, struggling to survive in poor urban ghettos. "There's a lot of personal baggage among people coming from a country at war," says Xuyen Matsuda, a clinical social worker who deals with Vietnamese-American families. "I'm concerned about the chronic feeling of powerlessness people have felt since coming from Vietnam," she says. Some 40 percent of her caseload speaks only Vietnamese, mostly low-income parents and single mothers with young kids. She treats them for depression, domestic abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorders. At the same time, medical doctors in the community must cope with a large community of older, infirm immigrants. The rate of cervical and breast cancer here is among the highest in the nation, because the disease is a taboo subject among the Vietnamese and often left undetected.

But, in many ways, Little Saigon is wise to its own ways, with its denizens admitting that fractiousness is not strictly a New World phenomenon for their people. Indeed, Vietnam's ancient creation myth addressed this problem. As the story goes, the tribal patriarch and matriarch had 100 sons, but because the parents couldn't get along, 50 sons went with the mother to the mountains, while the other 50 went with the father to the sea. "We are still a divided community," says Nhu-Ngoc Ong, a 22-year-old graduate student who came to the United States from Saigon eight years ago. "It's good in a way, because different opinions are what democracy is all about. But our people are too extreme."

This cultural divide is part of everyday reality for Alina Lee, a 15-year-old sophomore at Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton, Calif. "This morning in the car, my mom talked to me in Vietnamese, and more often than not I respond in English," she says. "I don't mean to piss her off, and if she reminds me, I'll switch back." Adds her 17-year-old friend My-Lan Lam: "I told my parents I'm not going to marry a Vietnamese–maybe an Asian, but they can't force me."

Still, it is this youngest generation of Vietnamese that may become the community's healing force.

Joe Tran, a former South Vietnamese colonel whose photograph is displayed in a war crimes museum in Vietnam, has a son with a doctorate in chemistry and a daughter who volunteered for the Peace Corps in Africa. "Someday, I expect my kids and [the Communists'] kids to rebuild the country," he says.

In which case, Vietnam would need a new creation myth.

Source: http://www.usnews.com/
usnews/issue/000717/
westminster.htm 

Nhöõng Theáheä Caùchbieät Nhau

Coängñoàng Ngöôøi Vieät ôû Myõ seõ rasao veàsau?

Nguyeãn Vaên Chuyeân nguyeân laø moät phicoâng cuûa Khoângquaân Vieätnam Coänghoaø 21 tuoåi khi anh rôøi Saøigoøn vaøo naêm 1975. Anh tôùi Myõ vôùi vôï, mangtheo ñöùacon 2 thaùng tuoåi, cuøng môùi moät ngöôøi em trai 5 tuoåi, ñaõ boûxöùø rañi ñeå khoûi bò laâm vaøo caûnh tuøtoäi vaø cheátchoùc neáu bò loït vaøo tay cuûa boäñoäi chieánthaéng Baécvieät. Trong moät thôøigian, anh ñaõ caøycuïc laøm ñuû thöù vieäc taychaân ôû thaønhphoá Dallas. Nhöng sauñoù anh tìm ñeán Westminster, Cali, soáng vôùi coängñoàng ngöôùi Vieät ôû ñoù, nay laø trungtaâm cuûa Saøigoøn Nhoû.  Nôiñaây coù nhöõng ngoâinhaø maøu voâivaøng vaø nhöõng cöûahaøng baùnñoà taïphoaù Aùchaâu, ñuû ñeå anh caûmthaáy gaànguõi vôùi queânhaø.

Ngaøynay, con cuûa Chuyeân, Vuõ, ñaõ 25 tuoåi, hoïc ñaïihoïc, laøm kyùgiaû vieátbaùo ôû Nam Cali. Vuõ meâ ngöôõngmoä caàuthuû ñoäi Lakers, laáy maáy lôùi Chuûnghóa Macxít, duøng nhöõng töø Myõ “cool” vaø “dude”, hai caùnhtay ñeàu coù xaâmhình. Vuõ chöabaogiôø uoángthöû nöôùcmía maù anh eùp ôû cöûatieäm Vieãn Taây cuûa baø. Naêm 1997 Vuõ coù veà thaêm Vieätnam vaø anh hoàitöôûng laïi:

– Thaätlaø kinhhoàn. Toaønlaø ñöôøngñaát khoâng aø. Ngöôøita ñoátraùc ngoaøi venloä – thöïc khoù tinñöôïc laø mình ñaõ sinhra ôû ñoù.

Söï caùchbieät cuûa caùc theáheä khaùcnhau nhö cuûa giañình oâng Chuyeân ñaõ töøng xaûyra trong nhieàu neàn vaênhoaù qua caùc thôøiñaïi, nhaátlaø giöõa caùc nhoùm didaân, nhöng moái chiareõ naày ñaëcbieät raát saâuñaäm trong coängñoàng ngöôøi Vieät ôû Myõ. Haimöôi laêm naêm sau ngaøy Saøigoøn xuïpñoå, gaàn hai trieäu ngöôøi Vieät soáng taïi Myõ ñaõ coágaéng dunghoaø loáisoáng cuûa mình, nhöng trong quaùtrình naày ñaû naåysinhra caûnh baáthoaø giöõa ngöôøithaân trong giañình vaø haøngxoùm vôùinhau.

Traïm döøngchaân. Ñoáivôùi caùc theáheä lôùntuoåi, ñôøisoáng ôû Myõ chaúngqua laø moät cuoäcsoáng löuvong, moät traïm döøngchaân ñôïi ñeánngaøy Coängsaûn baèngcaùch naøoñoù seõ xuïpñoã vaø hoï seõ veà laïi queâhöông trong noãi vinhquang. OÂng Mai Coâng, Giaùmñoác Trungtaâm Coängñoàng Vieätnam, moät côquan dòchvuï xaõhoäi, noùi:

– Chuùngtoâi chaèng maáy khaùc ngöôøi Cuba. Ainaáy ñeàu coågaéng khoâng baøytoû caûmxuùc cuûa mình vaø gaéng soáng, nhöng chuùngtoâi nhôùroõ taïisao mình soáng ôû ñaây.

Duø coùphaûi laø traïm döøngchaân haykhoâng, Saøigoøn Nhoû coù ñuû hìnhaûnh vaø hôihöôùm cuûa queâcuõ. Doïctheo Ñaïiloä Bolsa, naèm beân phía ñoâng xaloä 405, caùc baûnghieäu chöõ Vieät nhieàuhôn laø chöõ Anh chieámcöù nhieàu ñoaïn ñöôøng cuûa khu naày. Coù nhieàu kieántruùc xaây theokieåu chuøachieàng vaø nhieàu toaønhaø sôn ñuû maøu tím, xanh, vaø xanhlaùcaây cöùnhö ôû Saøigoøn. ÔÛ ñaây coù nghóañòa Vieätnam, toaøsoaïn baùo Vieätngöõ, quaày baùn raucaûi, tieäm uoántoùc, vaø hieäu thuoácbaéc – taátcaû ñeå phuïcvuï khaùchhaøng Vieätnam, luùcnaøo cuõng raraû môû caùc ñaøi tieáng Vieät trongvuøng.

Vòtrí khu Saøigoøn Nhoû moïc leân moätcaùch ngaãunhieân vaøo naêm 1975 khi ngöôøi Vieät tînaïn ñöôïc khoângvaän ñeán caêncöù Haûiquaân Pendleton, naèm caùch Westminster chöøng vaøi daëm döôøng ôû phía nam. Cuøngluùc baáygiôø, nhieàu toåchöùc nhaøthôø trong vuøng Quaän Cam noåitieáng choáng Coäng ñöùngra baûotrôï caùc giañình daân tînaïn. Ñeánkhi giañình oâng Chuyeân doïn tôùi ñaây, giaûiñaát caèncoåi cuûa Quaän Cam ñaõ thayhìnhñoåidaïng. ÔÛ nôi naày moät moùnñoà nhoû naøo cuõng toát caû. Anh Chuyeân, nay laø trôïlyù cho moät vò Thöôïngnghòsó Tieåubang California, keålaïi:

-- Gaïo vaø nöôùc maém ôû ñaây reõ quaù. ÔÛ Texas, hoàiñoù toâi phaûi laùixe caû tieáng ñoànghoà môùi mua ñöôïc.
Ngaøynay, Quaän Cam vaø vuøng nam Los Angeles laø nôi taäptrung tieâubieåu lôùn nhaát cuûa coängñoàng ngöôøi Vieät.

Nhöõng xuùccaûm saâuxa. Ñaây cuõng laø nôi choángñoái Coängsaûn maïnh nhaát. Vaøo naêmngoaùi khi moät chuûtieäm video ôû khu Saøigoøn Nhoû treo côø Coängsaûn trong tieäm oângta, nhöõng ngöôøi choáng Coäng ñaõ bieåutình choángñoái döõdoäi beânngoaøi cöûahieäu. Ñaàu naêm nay ôû Oakland, Cali, maáy möôi ngöôøi nöõa ñaõ dieãuhaønh beânngoaøi moät galerie khi nôi ñaây cho tröngbaøy hìnhaûnh cuûa Hoà Chí Minh, coá laõnhtuï cuûa Coängsaûn Baécvieät, do moät ngheänhaân ngöôøi Myõ veõ.

Tony Laâm, 63 tuoåi, uyûvieân 2 nhieämkyø cuûa hoäiñoàng thaønhphoá Westminster vaø laø ngöôøi Myõ goác Vieät ñaàutieân ñöôïc baàu leân ôû Hoakyø. Oâng Tony Laâm cuõng coøn laømchuû moät hieäuaên ôû khu Saøigoøn Nhoû. Nhöng chæ vì oângta khoâng uûnghoä laäptröôøng cöùngraén veà chuyeän treocôø, nhieàu thaønhvieân trong coängñoàng ñaõ bieåutình tröôùc quaùn cuûa oâng 73 ngaøy. Oâng Laâm chobieát laø ñaõ chitieâu 143.000 ñoâla ñeå lo luaätsö, thunhaäp cuûa nhaøhaøng cuûa oâng ñaõ giaûm maát 40 phaàntraêm, vaø roài cuoáicuøng oâng ñaõ phaûi doïn nhaøhaøng sang moät ñòadieåm khaùc. Oâng ñaõ khoùc khi noùi:

-- Toâi ñaõ maát nöôùc, boû laïi moàmaõ cuûa toåtieân ñeá tôùi ñaây. Nhöng hoï ñaõ ñaåy toâi ñeán nöôùc naày.

Moät nhaânvaät laõnhñaïo khaùc cuûa coängñoàng, oâng Phaïm Cô, cuõng ñaõ bò choángñoái vì oângta uûnghoä moái banggiao vaø thöôngmaïi ñaàutö vôùi Vieätnam vaø ñaõ toåchöùc tieápñaõi nhieàu phaùiñoaøn ñeán töø Vieätnam. Oâng Cô noùi:

-- Toâi choáng Vieätnam nhöng treân laäptröôøng xaâydöïng. Chuùngtoâi hyvoïng laø seõ goùpphaàn vaøo tieántrình daânchuûhoaù ôû ñoù.

Nhöng thaønhphaàn baûothuû ôû ñaây thöôøngxuyeân vaänñoäng choángñoái chuyeän hoaøgiaûi vôùi Vieätnam. Nhöõng ngöôøi naøy kieântrì ñöara ñieàukieän phaûi coù nhieàu töïdo chínhtrò hôn ôû Vieätnam tröôùckhi thieátlaäp moái quanheä Myõ-Vieät naøo. Laäptröôøng choáng Coäng cöùngraén trong coängñoàng ngöôøi Vieät coøn mang ñeán nhieâu haêmdoaï gieátchoùc. Nguyeãn Phuù, 22 tuoài, moät sinhvieân tröôøng Ñaïihoïc Tieåubang California vaø töøng laø chuûtòch Hoâi Sinhvieân Vieätnam, noùi:

-- Nhöõng bieáncoá naày ñaõ laøm cho coängñoàng chuùngtoâi ñi böôùc thuïtluøi trong böôùcñöôøng vöônleân thaønh moät coängñoàng vaênminh.

Nhöõng moái caêngthaúng naøy tröôùcñaây coøn teähaïi hôn nöõa. Jeff Brody, moät giaûngvieân phuïgiaûng cuûa ÑH California Fullerton phuïtraùch giaûngdaïy caùc moân quanheä ñeán kinhnghieäm Myõ-Vieät, trong moät baùocaùo chöa ñöôùc xuaátbaûn ñaõ ghinhaän laø trong khoaûng thôøigian töø naêm 1981 ñeán 1990, naêm nhaøbaùo Vieätnam ñaõ bò gieát ôû Hoakyø. Caùc nhoùm khaùngchieán choáng Coäng ñeàu ñöùngra nhìnnhaän chuûmöu trong caùc vuï aùmsaùt naày, vaø ñaõ coù hôn 17 haønhvi baïoñoäng nhaémvaøo nhöõng ngöôøi Vieät ôû Myõ ñöôïc nhöõng phaàntöû cöùngraén coilaø coù laäptröôøng meàmyeáu ñoáivôùi Vieätnam. Trong baûn baùocaùo oâng vieát:

“Côquan tìnhbaùo Lieânbang FBI ñaõ ñieàutra moätvuï, nhöng ñaõ khoâng ñaït ñöôïc tieánboä naøo – vuï aùnmaïng naày cuõngnhö nhöõng vua1n khaùc.

Vuõ, contrai cuûa oâng Chuyeân, vöøa laø sinhvieân vöøa laø nhaøbaùo, noùi:

-- Nhöõng coângkích, chuïpmuõ, chæñieåm – toaøn laø nhöõng chuyeän voâloái. Theáheä lôùntuoåi coi Vieätnam laø xöù coängsaûn. Coøn mình thì xem ai cuõng laø ngöôøi Vieätnam.

Gaùnh Haønhtrang naëngneà. Nhöng Vuõ chæ laø moät haøinhi khi anh rôøi Vieätnam. Nhieàu ngöôøi ñeán Myõ thuoäc theáheä tröôùc ñaõ töøng laø nhöõng ngöôøilính cuûa phe baïitraän hoaëc ñaõ töøng bò giamcaàm sau chieánthaéng cuûa Coängsaûn Baécvieät, hoaëc nhöõng ngöôùi thuoäc caû hai thaønhphaàn. Vaø nhöõng cöïu chieánbinh naày, cuõng gioángnhö nhöõng cöïu chieánbinh Myõ, ñaõ traõiqua nhöng rayröùc vaø khuûnghoaûng taâmthaàn naëngneà. Hoï khoâng nhìn thaáy ñoängcô thaêngtieán trong xaõhoäi môùi naày: Khoâng gioáng nhö nhöõng nhoùm daândicö khaùc töø vuøng Ñoângaù ñeán, coängñoàng ngöôøi Vieät ñaïiñasoá thuoác giaicaáp laoñoäng, ñaõ phaánñaâu vuøngvaãy vöônleân trong nhöõng khu thòtöù ngheøonaøn. Baø Xuyeán Matsuda, moät nhaânvieân xaõhoäi phuïtraùch nhöõng vaánñeà coängñoàng Vieätnam, noùi:

-- Toâi laømvieäc vôùi nhöõng ngöôøi ñeán töø Vieätnam tröôùcñaây thöôøng mang taâmtraïng cuûa keû khoâng quyeànlöïc ñaõ ñaùnhmaát taátcaû.

Hoàsô baø phuïtraùch coù treân 40% soá ngöôøi chæ bieát noùi tieáng Vieät, haàuheát laø nhöõng giañình ngheøo coù treûem coù coù ñaàyñuû chameï hoaëc chæ soáng meï. Baø Xuyeán giuùp nhöõng ngöôøi naày gaûiquyeát nhöõng vaánñeà nhö aâulo, xaøoxaùo giañình, vaø khuûnghoaûng taâmthaàn. Ñoàngthôøi, giôùi ysó trong coängñoàng phaûi öùngphoù vôùi soá ngöôøi beänh thuoäc lôùp dicö lôùntuoåi cuûa theáheätröôùc. Vuøng naày phuïnöõ coù möùcñoä bò ungthö töûcung vaø vu cao nhaát Hoakyø, nhöng ñoáivôùi nhieàu ngöôøi Vieätnam ñaây laø caênbeänh caámkî choneân thöôøng khoângñöôïcai chaêmlo tôùi.

Nhöng döôùi nhieàu khíacaïnh khaùcnhau, Saøigoøn Nhoû

coù nhöõng caùi hay maø daânnhaäpcö trongvuøng nhìnnhaän raèng tính cöùngñaàu khoânghaún laø caênbeänh môùimeû gì ñoáivôùi hoï ôû Taân Theágiôùi naày. Thöïcvaäy, huyeànthoaïi veà conroàngchaùutieân cuûa daântoäc Vieätnam ñaõ keåchuyeän Laïc Long Quaân vaø baø Aâu Cô vì aênôû vôùinhau khoâng hôïp neân ñaõ chia nhau 50 ngöôøi chon theo meï leân nuùi vaø 50 ngöôøi con theo cha xuoáng bieån. Oâng Nhö-Ngoïc, moät sinhvieân caohoïc 22 tuoåi ñaõ töø Saøigoøn ñeán Myõ taùm naêm tröôùc ñaây, noùi:

-- Coängñoàng mình vaãn coøn chiareõ. Ñieàu naày cuûa coù maët toát cuûa noù vì daânchuû chính laø coù nhieàu yùkieán khaùcnhau. Nhöng daân mình laïi quaù cöïcñoan.

Söï caùchbieät vaênhoaù laø moätphaàn trong ñôøisoáng haèngngaøy ñoáivôùi Alina Lyù, 15 tuoåi, hoïcsinh tröôøng Trunghoïc Sunny Hills ôû thaønhphoá Fullerton. Em noùi:

-- Saùng nay trong xe, meï em noùi tieáng Vieät vôùi em, vaø thöôøng thì em traûlôøi baèng tieáng Anh. Em ñaâuphaûi choïcqueâ meï, nhöng neáu nghe me nhaécnhôû thì em laïi chuyeånsang tieáng Vieät.

Laâm Myõ-Lan, coâbaïn 17 tuoåi cuûa Alina, noùi theâm vaøo:

-- Em coù noùi vôùi boámeï em laø maimoát em khoâng laáy choàng Vieät—coùtheå laø choàng ngöôøi Aùchaâu, boámeï em ñaâucoù eùp em ñöôïc….

Noùi ñuùng ra, chính laø theáheä treûtrung nhaát cuûa coängñoàng ngöôøi Vieät naày ñaây seõ coùtheå trôûthaønh moät söùcmaïnh haøngaén cuûa coängñoàng.

Joe Traàn, nguyeân ñaïitaù trong quaânlöïc Vieätnam Coänghoaø laø ngöôøi coù trong aûnh treo trong caùc baûotaûngvieän toäíac chieántranh ôû Vieätnam, coù ñöùa contrai hoïc laáy xong baèng tieánsó hoaùhoïc vaø moät coâ congaùi ñi laø tìnhnguyeän cho Löïclöôïc Hoaøbình taïi Phichaâu. Oâng noùi:

-- Moät ngaøy naøo ñoù, toâi mongmoûi con mình vaø ñaùm treû [Coängsaûn] seõ cuøngnhau xaâydöïng laïi ñaátnöôùc.

Trong tröôønghôïp ñoù, Vieätnam laïi caàn phaûi saùngtaïo theâm moät huyeànthoaïi môùi cho daântoäc.

Ngöôøidòch: dchph