A Love Letter to Little Saigon

Because of the Vietnam War, America saw a massive influx of Vietnamese immigrants to several prominent cities, creating centralized hubs of Vietnamese culture. These “Little Saigons” served as a home away from home for the local Vietnamese and Vietnamese American communities, especially after their old homes were left war-torn and devastated. Although most would associate them with states like California and Texas, people often forget that we have a Little Saigon right next-door within Oklahoma City's very own Asian District.

Even though I was born and raised over 100 miles from Oklahoma City, I know the Asian District like the back of my hand.

Once a month, my parents would use the excuse of “visiting our relatives” to take my family up to Oklahoma City to visit the Asian District. For them as immigrants from a ravaged Vietnam, it was a way for them to reconnect with “home.” Although we had stacks of Paris by Night VHS tapes and worn-down Vietnamese magazines scattered around the house, nothing in our hometown could solve how isolated and distant my parents felt from their past. At least, that’s what they tell me.

In my eyes, it felt like another fun road trip.After all, I was in elementary school, and I didn’t know any better. That doesn’t change the fact that my most prominent childhood memories with my Vietnamese heritage still took place there. It’s the roar of the tanggu drums and the firecrackers of the Lion Dances in front of Cao Nguyen. It’s the visible distaste when my parents tried to sneak vegetables into my phở in various restaurants. It’s the struggle to fit all of the plastic bags of meat, fish, spices, and snacks into the trunk of my mom’s minivan, before munching down on a bánh bao on the drive back.

It's the feeling of pride in my culture,despite trying to bury it to “fit in.”

Now that I’ve grown up a bit, I feel a weird type of poignant nostalgia when I drive through the Asian District. Maybe, when I have my own children, I’ll take them here to visit. After all, there’s no place like this. I hope you never change, Little Saigon. I love you.