Vestiges of Vietnam: Uncovering the Hidden Heritage of Virginia's Little Saigon

Abstract

Abstract:Journalist and daughter of a Vietnamese immigrant, Kim O'Connell explores the disappearance of places associated with Vietnamese immigrants to the Clarendon neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia, during the years following the end of the Vietnam War. As Vietnamese American populations were priced out of Arlington and moved deeper into the Washington, D.C., suburbs, the shops and restaurants associated with the "Little Saigon" commercial district in Clarendon vanished, but new efforts to preserve the intangible are ensuring the history of Vietnamese immigrants to the United Sates is represented as part of the broader historical narrative.