The largest and oldest Vietnamese community in the United States is Little Saigon, encompassing parts of Westminster, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove and Santa Ana.
To better understand the phenomenon of the unique ethnic enclave that is Orange County’s Little Saigon, Cal State Fullerton College of Business and Economics economists Anil Puri, Aaron Popp and Adrian Fleissig have released a first-of-its-kind report on the demographic and economic profile of this community. The study, which was highlighted at an Oct. 4 event, documents the progress made over the past 50 years and reports that this ethnic enclave is likely to expand and thrive in the future.
The Demographics of Orange County’s Little Vietnam
Puri, Fleissig and Popp noted that Little Saigon’s population has grown faster over time than that of Orange County as a whole, largely driven by immigration from Southeast Asia.
Though only 52.8% of Little Saigon residents are even of Asian descent, the concentration and influence of this demographic is strong enough to exude a powerful defining impact on the neighborhoods…