VIETNAMESE IMMIGRATION

Asian Vietnamese Immigration After World War II

Asian Vietnamese Immigration After World War II

The history of Vietnamese Americans began with the end of the Viet Nam War in 1975. On 28 January 1973, after having spent years and millions of dollars financing the Viet Nam War, the United States government reluctantly agreed to withdraw its financial and military assistance after signing the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Viet Nam. The peace agreement was signed by representatives of the United States, the Republic of Viet Nam (South Viet Nam), and the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam (North Viet Nam) in Paris. The agreement committed the United States and other signatories to respect the independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Viet Nam, called for prisoners of war to be exchanged, and declared an in-place cease fire.

Soon after the withdrawal of the United States military and economic support, the military situation deteriorated rapidly for the government of South Viet Nam. The flight of the Vietnamese refugees really began within the country, with the North Vietnamese military offensive of mid-March 1975 resulting in the defeats at Pleiku, Kontum, and Ban Me Thuot. As a result of this military offensive about one million refugees poured out of these areas and headed for Saigon and the coast. Most traveled by foot, few were fortunate enough to travel by car, truck, or motor bike. On 30 April 1975, the capital of South Viet Nam, and thus South Viet Nam, came under the control of the Provisional Revolutionary Government. This resulted in the flight of the Vietnamese refugees to the United States.

Before introducing students to the Vietnamese migration to the United States, be sure to include a discussion on the differences between a refugee and an immigrant. Refugees are typically people who are reluctant to uproot and resettle because of their social backgrounds and status; but they are forced to do so. Their flight usually results from being persecuted and/or physically harmed for past affiliation with certain political, social, religious, or military groups. Immigrants, however, have a choice. They make a “rational” decision based on relatively better economic opportunity, have to prepare for the journey, estimate the cost versus gain, make all the necessary arrangements, and only then, leave their country. Vietnamese refugees were not immigrants who chose to come to the U.S. for better political, social, and economic opportunities. Their migration was for the most part unplanned and out of desperation.

Vietnamese emigration is generally divided into two periods, each with several “waves.” The first period began in April 1975 and continued through 1977. This period included the first three waves of Vietnamese refugees in the United States. The first wave of refugees, involving some ten to fifteen thousand people, began at least a week to ten days before the collapse of the government. The second wave, and probably the largest in numbers, involved some eighty thousand, who were evacuated by aircraft during the last days of ...