Vietnamese Community in the United States
Vietnamese Community in the United States
Introduction
The Vietnamese American has become a significant part of the American population. This community has become the fourth largest with the Asian American community. The community enjoys an average economic status. The economy of this community is largely dependent on small business. In terms of religion, Vietnamese Americans are predominantly Buddhist. However, Christian has also become a popular religion. The Vietnamese community has had a significant impact on my life. One element of this community that has impacted on my life is the community’s collective culture. This culture places the wellbeing of the community ahead of individuals of well being. It focuses on creating cohesion among members of the community. This culture has been instrumental in providing support, control and inspiration in my life.
Community Background
The US hosts the largest proportion of the Vietnamese Diaspora population. Nearly, half of the Vietnamese Diaspora population is found in the Country. They also make up the fourth largest group of Asian American. In 2010, the population of Vietnamese American was estimated at 1,548,449 (The US Census Bureau, 2011). San Jose leads other urban centers in terms of the number of Vietnamese American. Garden Griove and Westminster also have a significant number of Vietnamese America. Three waves of migration in the second half led to the growth of Vietnamese American population. The first wave took place in 1975 during the fall of Saigon. This group mostly comprised of senior military official, civil servants and the middle class (The US Census Bureau, 2011). The second wave took place in the 1980 when common people escaped the communist regime using boats. The third wave of migration took place between 1990 and 2000. This wave comprised of people who worked in humanitarian operations, released prisoners and Amerasian children.
Economy
The Vietnamese American population has diverse socioeconomic groups (Merrit, 2011). Members of the older generation of Vietnamese Americans operate small businesses in various cities. These businesses include bakeries, restaurants and open supermarkets. The members of the younger generation are well educated and have pursued various professions within the country. The Vietnamese society treasures learning and education thus leading to the academic success of Vietnamese Americans. The average family income among the Vietnamese American population is $59,000 per year (The US Census Bureau, 2011). The number of households living below the poverty line stands at 12% compared to the National average of 10%. Despite the relatively high level of poverty, Vietnamese American portrays a culture of hard work. Immigrants arrive into the country without vocational skills, but struggle to work in the informal industries. They use this menial labor to provide a decent life for their families and education to the children. Today, the community has a relatively high literacy rate. A large number of Vietnamese Americans also support their family members back in the native country. The culture of hard work has been instrumental in shaping my life. This culture has enabled me to work towards their realization of my life goals. The community has taught me that one can only realize his goals through determination and hard work.
Religion
Vietnamese American is a religious community. Many Vietnamese Americans are Buddhist. Buddhism means to be enlightened (The US Census Bureau, 2011). The Buddhism philosophies emphasizes on three essential principles; morality, awareness of thoughts and actions, and development of wisdom (White, 2007). This religion leads people to the path of morality, self awareness and wisdom. Christianity is the second most popular religion among the Vietnamese Americans. About 40% of Vietnamese Americans are Roman Catholics (Merrit, 2003). Religion plays a significant role in unifying the Vietnamese American community. Christianity principles are not so divergent from Buddhist principles. Christianity principles also emphasize on righteousness, morality, peaceful coexistence and wisdom. However, unlike Buddhist, the Christians believe in the existence of Supreme Being. The religious nature of the Vietnamese community has been of significant impact to my life. Religion has shaped my personal values and beliefs. It has been instrumental in helping to define myself.
Social Life
The Vietnamese Americans is a young population. The median age for the Vietnamese Americans is 35.4 years (The US Census Bureau, 2011). This median age is significantly lower than the US national average. A young population has had a significant impact in the development of this community. A young population means that a big number of Vietnam Americans can participate in economic activity and support the rest of the community. More than 68% of Vietnamese American community members were born outside the United States (The US Census Bureau, 2011). Vietnamese is the most common language used by the Vietnamese American. However, majority of the community members can communicate effectively using English. Majority if the Vietnamese people lives in suburbs of large metropolitan cities. San Jose is the most populace city when it comes to the number of Vietnamese American community.
The Collective Culture
The Vietnamese society practices a collective culture. This is whereby the community is considered the basic unit of society (Hong, 2001). The society assigns priority to matters that affect the community rather than focusing on matters that affect individuals. Community members are strongly bound together. The community also expects every member to abide to the values and expectations of this community (Hong, 2001). The strong social ties have enabled the Vietnamese society to provide support and social control to the children.The collective nature of the Vietnamese American community has had a significant impact on my life. In collective society, the entire community is responsible for the wellbeing of the members of the community (Hong, 2001). Children are the responsibility of all members of the community rather than being the responsibility of the biological parents. This social setting has provided enhanced control mechanism thus providing an appropriate atmosphere for children to grow. I was able to have a successful childhood development due to the organization of my community. The control mechanism provided by the community’s culture shielded me from some of the dangers that other American children are experiencing.
Drug abuse is one of the social problems that have led to the destruction of lives of many American children. Drug abuse is a significant problem in the US. According to Buddy, 2010, approximately 20 million Americans have used illicit drugs in the last one month. This trend is being reflected among the American youths. Buddy (2010) has revealed that close to 3,000 American youths introduce themselves into cigarette smoking habits. A study also revealed that 50% of the American high school population abuse drugs. Change in the social environment is one of the factors that have contributed to the prevalence in drug abuse cases (Spooner and Hetherington, 2004). The American society has become individualistic. The business of raising children has become the sole responsibility of parents. This has reduced social support for the children thus exposing them to vises such as drug abuse. Majority of Vietnamese American youths have been able to escape these social challenges that American youth are facing due to the social support that the culture provides.
Apart from drug abuse, American children encounter numerous other challenges. Teenage pregnancy has also become a significant problem in the US. An estimated 400,000 girls of between 15 and 19 years gave birth in 2011 (Center for Disease Control, 2010). The teenage pregnancy rates are significant low among the Vietnamese American community. Spread of sexually transmitted diseases is also a significant social problem (Center for Disease Control, 2010). The collective nature of the Vietnamese community has been instrumental in assisting Vietnamese youths to avoid these social problems. The culture lays a lot of emphasis on respect for all members of the society. Youths cannot carryout misconducts in the watch of any adult, even when they have no blood relationships with the adult. This sense of control has enhanced responsibility among Vietnamese youths. I am glad that this culture has enabled me to overcome social challenges, which many American youths have not been able to avoid.
The collective nature of the Vietnamese community has also trained me to be a dependable member of the Vietnam American community. A collective society places emphasis on collective duties rather than individual duties (Hong, 2001). It views the society as vital fabric that holds people together. Therefore, this culture holds people accountable toward the society. The society expects all members to make a noteworthy contribution towards the community. This culture has helped me to establish a sense of responsibility. I have learnt that besides pursuing individual goals, I have a responsibility towards my community. The value of this community requires individuals to become responsible for their parents, brothers, friends and other community members. It emphasizes on developing a society where members assist each other to grow. This culture has inspired to me to find a sense of purpose. I know I have a contribution to make towards the Vietnamese community and the general American society.
The cohesive nature of the Vietnamese culture was also instrumental in providing stability when I was growing. Collective cultures believe that the wellbeing of the society should be accorded priority (Hong, 2001). One of the focuses of the Vietnamese culture is promoting the family institution. The community considers the family as the basic unit of society. The wellbeing of the society is reliant on the health of the family institution. Consequently, there is a lot of weight on promoting the institution of marriage. The value for the institution of marriage is visible in divorce statistics. The divorce rate among the Vietnamese American is 6%, which is low when compared to the national average of 11%. A large number of Vietnamese children grow up in intact and stable family. This plays a pivot role in promoting the development of an individual.
Conclusion
The population of Vietnamese American was estimated to be over 1.5 million in 2011. This makes this social group a significant section of the American society. The Vietnamese community has had a significant impact on my life. One aspect of this community that has had a momentous impact on my life is the collective nature of the community’s culture. This culture has supplied me with the support and control mechanism during my childhood. The culture also guaranteed me a stable family and social environment. Consequently, the culture was able to help me to overcome the social challenges that face American youths. The culture has also been instrumental in shaping my values and identity.
References
Buddy T. (2010) Rates of Illicit Drug Abuse in the US. November 29, 2012. http://alcoholism.about.com/od/drugs/a/nsduh_drugs.htm
Center for Disease Control (2012). About Teen Pregnancy. November 29, 2012. http://www.cdc.gov/teenpregnancy/aboutteenpreg.htm
Hong Y. (2001) Collective Duties and Individual Rights. Journal of Social Cognition. 19 (3): 251- 268
Merrit E. (2011). Portrait of Vietnamese Americans. November 30, 2012. http://vfaseattle.org/2011/09/15/census-2010-finds-vietnamese-community-dynamic-and-younger-than-national-average/
Spooner C. & Hetherington K. (2004). Social Determinants of Drug Use. November 29, 2012. http://www.ndarc/resources/TR.228.pdf
The US Census Bureau (2010). The Vietnamese Population in the United States. November 30, 2012. http://www.bpsos.org/mainsite/images/DelawareValley/community_profile/us.census.2010.the%20vietnamese%20population_july%202.2011.pdf
White B. (2003). Introduction to Buddhism. November 30, 2012. http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/5minbud.htm
Is this your assignment or some part of it?
We can do it for you! Click to Order!
