Customer Reviews

The Vietnamese Americans (The New Americans)

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Hien Duc Do provides a good account of vietnamese americans. To often they are reduced to stereotypes like the model minority or poor boat people, however there is obviously more than that to vietnamese americans. Do covers issues of vietnamee history anbd culture especially important considering the american involvement in vietnam. It looks at how vietnames have come to this country as refugees and as immigrants. Do deals with the prejudice that vietnamese have faced such as conflicts in states like louisanaia and texas when they entred the fishing industry as well as problems with other minority groups like hispanics and blacks over goverment resources. There is a good deal of information about the generational conflicts between first and second generation vietnames who differ in areas like language and values. It looks at problems like mental health that are not dealt with all that much in the vietnamese community Do does cover the model minority issue discussing school achievement and looks at how above average poverty rates among vietnamese.

This book covers a brief history of Vietnam, Vietnamese people, of their heritage and culture. Discussed how the Vietnamese came to America more than thirty years ago as refugees and have created their own community that is now interwoven into the fabric of the American society. The author examines the Vietnamese community through their political participation, social issues such as education, community development, cultural preservation and economic survival.