UVSA Midwest Newsletter October 2011

October 2011Vol. 1 | Issue 3

Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of the Midwest

[email protected]

On September 30, 2011, 23 children and young adults were rescued from slave labor in a garment factory by Vietnamese authorities with the help of Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, an Australian-run non-profit organization but mostly remembered as last year’s CPP beneficiary.

Vietnamese officials and police, with the help of BDCF, raided the factory in Ho Chi Minh City rescuing victims from ages ten to 21. Most of the victims are from Dien Bien province in the far northwest region of Vietnam. Some of them have been in slave labor for two years. The owners have been arrested and are awaiting trial.

The children relaxed at the Noi Bai airport as they waited for their flight back home to their villages. The group said they were looking forward to returning home to their families, some who they haven’t seen in over two years.

Trang, a 12-year-old boy from Dien Bien province was taken by car from his village to Saigon where he worked in cutting cloth and was beaten regularly, he said.

This is a common issue in Vietnam. Families in poor villages are approached by traffickers who promise them and their children well-paid jobs in Saigon. Desperate for money, families send off their children with these strangers. After months and months of no money and no contact, the families become weary worried. This called for help from BDCF in investigating the factories and bringing these children back home.

Michael Brosowski, founder of BDCF, said that they focuse on combating child trafficking in

Vietnam. Governments and NGOs recognize sex trafficking, one of the forms of human trafficking, but many neglect labor trafficking because it is harder to define and rarely prosecuted.

“But labor trafficking can be hideous as well. These children lose years of their lives,” Brosowski said.

Authorities have yet to decide how they plan to prosecute this case.

BDCF: At it Again

Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation

Catalyst and VSAM 5K

Leadership Retreat Opinions

Spotlight: VSAM

Scholarships & Grants

Interesting Facts: US Census

CPP Campaign

In This Issue

Stop the Traffic, Educate a Child Minneapolis— On Saturday October 8, VSA Minnesota collaborated with the Catalyst Foundation to host a 5k in hopes of raising money that would go towards the prevention of human trafficking. The race was hosted at the University of Minnesota by VSA Minnesota (VSAM) in hopes of raising money for Catalyst’s programs and to build a relationship with the organization. VSAM, like many other VSAs around the Midwest, focuses on raising awareness and preserving Vietnamese culture while empowering youths and young professionals and reaching out to the community and maintaining relationships.

“Many VSA members are involved with the Catalyst Foundation, but this is the first time that organization

has officially hosted an event with Catalyst,” said Thuy Lan Doan, this year’s president of VSAM.

Catalyst Foundation is a grassroot, non-profit organization that fights human trafficking in Vietnam through education for children and training programs for adults. The founder and executive director, Caroline Ticarro-Parker Nguyen goes back and forth between the states and Vietnam to ensure progress in all of thei programs. The money raised goes towards building homes for families in Kien Giang, Vietnam.

VSAM, like many organizations, also faced some challenges. Caroline was in Vietnam often and members on the planning committee often didn’t make it on conference calls. Nonetheless, the event was a success and participants had fun, which is all that really matters in the end.

“People had fun running/walking for a good cause. It was a beautiful day! And there was also a virtual 5k. People can register and do a 5k themselves and report their times to get a t-shirt,” Doan said.

There were medals for the top three runners, but what was neat about the race was that runners/walkers were given a postcard with a picture of the child they raised money for by running. This created a sense of personal emotions towards the children in Vietnam. Catalyst is always looking for donations. Please visit www.catalystfoundation.org for more information.

2 Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of the Midwest

3October 2011 | Volume 1 | Issue 3

5th Annual Leadership Retreat – Purdue UniversityOpinions

Over the past few years, I have learned that one of the pillars of effective and enduring leadership is being able to build strong relationships with people. Indeed, this year’s UVSA-Midwest Leadership Retreat allowed me to do just that: establish new friendships while strengthening old ones. In addition, one of my favorite workshops that I attended was entitled “Choose Your Own Cultural Adventure.” The interactive structure of the session encouraged us to discuss and reflect on some controversial issues within the Vietnamese community. The debates were really insightful and even challenged my own views on some issues such as which flag should be displayed at VSA events or whether or not knowing the Vietnamese

language is a crucial component of being Vietnamese-American. In the future, I think it would be beneficial to present these topics with all of the leaders at the retreat so they can stay informed, especially if it’s a pressing political issue like the Spratly and Paracel islands between Vietnam and China.

Overall, I think the retreat did a great job of equipping current and rising leaders with the knowledge and motivation to transform our visions into actions back on our respective campuses. I found it refreshing to meet and interact with people who work tirelessly for what they believe in; people whose driving force is conviction and not recognition. The passion and energy exhibited throughout the weekend was definitely contagious. The retreat was a great reminder of why all of our stress and sleepless nights are worth it: because change has to start with us.

Gina Le The Ohio State University Psychology, English (Pre-Education)

The 2011 Leadership Retreat was an eye opening experience in a number of ways. From it, I have developed newfound friendships, professional skills and abilities, and perhaps most importantly, the realization that there is a wealth of resources available to our VSA outside of the state. Whether it would be support of the VSA organizational community, leadership development opportunities, or even the advice and counseling from those who have already walked the path, we can utilize these advantages to help build a lasting Vietnamese community-oriented student group at the regional level. Purdue VSA, who took the time and effort into creating such an uplifting and professional environment, should be commemorated for their hard work. From the Leadership Retreat, I take with me a different view of the types of connections and professional relationships that can be developed from working with other VSAs and the realization the collaborative effort of many, surpasses the progression of one.

Luke Huynh University of Iowa Biology

4 Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of the Midwest

Two months ago, I joined VSA without having a clear idea what it stood for; and I had never really found out until I attended my first UVSA-Midwest Leadership Retreat. I’ve found out that VSA is more than just a group of Vietnamese students hanging out and eating pho together; that VSA is nation-wide. From this Leadership Retreat, I feel that apart from it being a new start for my friendships and memories, it is also a place, where great minds come together to network with one another and generate different possible solutions not only for the better Vietnamese American community, but also the Vietnamese community overall. I’ve had a great time during UVSA-Midwest 2011 Leadership Retreat and I’m looking forward to attending the next Leadership Retreats.

Vince Nguyen Purdue University Computer and Information Technology

I love Leadership Retreat! Ever since I was invited to go to the previous Leadership Retreat last year at Michigan State, it’s been on my calendar for every academic year. Aside from the knowledge and suggestions to make the executive board and overall group better, I also met many great friends through the awesome network opportunities.

Daniel Le Michigan State University Actuarial Studies

VSA of Minnesota Spotlight

The Vietnamese Student Association of Minnesota (VSAM) was first registered as a student organization in 1976 and is a well-established organization at the University of Minnesota. VSAM is passionate about providing opportunities to share the Vietnamese culture, history, and traditions on campus and within the Vietnamese community.

Not only do we touch the lives of Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American students, but we also hold ourselves to a high standard in building and maintaining partnerships with and within

the Vietnamese and University Community. We do this by bringing together other multicultural student groups in our vision. For instance, we hold collaborative events with groups such as the Chinese American Student Association, Philippines Students Association, Minnesota International Students Association, and more.

For instance, some events we throw are lantern painting and pho night. VSAM’s two biggest annual events, Tet Trung Thu and Tet show are grand spectacles that attract many attendees from the University and the Vietnamese community at large.

The Tet show alone brings in 1,100 attendees and is a 6 month endeavor involving over 70 volunteers.

VSAM is a powerhouse within the UVSA community, you can say that, “We roll deep, son!” By that we mean that the organization is one of the top fundraising VSAs in the Midwest region and is very active in UVSA Midwest events. In fact, the upcoming UNAVSA-9 conference will be held here in Minnesota in collaboration with UVSA Midwest.

In the words of VSAM, “We are from Winnesota, all we do is Nguyen Nguyen Nguyen, no matter what.”

6 Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of the Midwest

CPP Campaign LaunchThe CPP “Hold on to Hope” campaign for Children of Vietnam has launched. The purpose of this campaign is to raise awareness about the organization and its cause, as well as get VSAs from all over the country involved in fundraising. It is fairly simple to participate in this campaign; all you have to do are two things:

1. Take a picture of yourself holding on to something that gives you hope, post it to the Facebook group and as your profile picture. There will be ongoing financial donors to support the amount of Facebook pictures that gets uploaded. 2. Tag the “Hold on to Hope” Campaign by using the #cpp2012 in your tweets whenever something hopeful inspires you, when you upload your picture, etc.

Another part of the campaign is calling for all VSAs to do a “roll out” day, where members of the VSAs change their profile pictures to a “hope” picture, and upload it to the Facebook event page to show support. There will be ongoing financial donors to support the amount of Facebook pictures that gets uploaded. Please see the Hold on to Hope Facebook group and event page for more information. We encourage all VSAs, and individual donors, to get involved in this campaign.

Please visit http://www.cpp.unavsa.org for more information.

The Vietnamese Population in the United States: 2010 _________________________________________

1,548,449 This report provides a portrait of Vietnamese American population in the United States, including the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and discusses its distribution and some selected social and economic characteristics at the national level, including some selected Asian groups. The 2010 Census showed that the United States population was 308,745,538 on April 1, 2010. Of the total, 14,674,252, or 4.8 percent, reported Asian, and 1,548,449, or 0.5 percent, reported Vietnamese alone. The Vietnamese population was the 4th largest among the Asian population groups in the United States. Between 2000 and 2010, the Vietnamese population had gained a numeric increase of 425,921, or 37.9%, compared with the total Asian population growth at 43.2%, and the United States at 9.7%. Question on Race "Asian" refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, such as Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam.

Since the 1980 census, there were 6 separate response categories for Asian: Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese.

Since the 2000 Census, respondents were asked to report one or more races they considered themselves and other members of their household to be. Data on race can be divided into two broad categories: the race alone and the race in combination population. Hispanic is not a race. People of Hispanic origin may be any race. An individual's responses to the race question and to the Hispanic origin question were based upon self-identification.

Change in Asian Alone Population 2000 - 2010

Asian 2000 2010

Change

Number Percent

Asian Alone 10,242,998 14,674,252 4,431,254 43.2

Chinese 2,432,585 3,347,229 914,644 37.5

Asian Indian 1,678,765 2,843,391 1,164,626 69.3

Filipino 1,850,314 2,555,923 705,609 38.1

Vietnamese 1,122,528 1,548,449 425,921 37.9

Korean 1,076,872 1,423,784 346,912 32.2

Japanese 796,700 763,325 -33,375 -4.1

Other Asian 1,285,234 2,192,151 906,917 70.5

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census ___________________________________ This summary was prepared as an aid in responding to inquiry about the Vietnamese population in the United States. For more information, please contact Anh T. Nguyen, U.S. Census Bureau / Atlanta Region, email [email protected], or call (404) 423-0812. These charts and tables were created for educational and display purposes only, not for publication, replication, or distribution. Data availability varies, depending on topics and survey parameters. All data can be retrieved from the U.S. Census website: www.census.gov, or otherwise noticed. Updated June 2011.

Asian Alone Population in the United States: 2010 Asian 14,674,252 Chinese 3,347,229 Asian Indian 2,843,391 Filipino 2,555,923 Vietnamese 1,548,449 Korean 1,423,784 Japanese 763,325 Other Asian 2,192,151

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census

Interesting Facts - US Census

The Vietnamese Population in the United States: 2010 _________________________________________

1,548,449 This report provides a portrait of Vietnamese American population in the United States, including the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and discusses its distribution and some selected social and economic characteristics at the national level, including some selected Asian groups. The 2010 Census showed that the United States population was 308,745,538 on April 1, 2010. Of the total, 14,674,252, or 4.8 percent, reported Asian, and 1,548,449, or 0.5 percent, reported Vietnamese alone. The Vietnamese population was the 4th largest among the Asian population groups in the United States. Between 2000 and 2010, the Vietnamese population had gained a numeric increase of 425,921, or 37.9%, compared with the total Asian population growth at 43.2%, and the United States at 9.7%. Question on Race "Asian" refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, such as Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam.

Since the 1980 census, there were 6 separate response categories for Asian: Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese.

Since the 2000 Census, respondents were asked to report one or more races they considered themselves and other members of their household to be. Data on race can be divided into two broad categories: the race alone and the race in combination population. Hispanic is not a race. People of Hispanic origin may be any race. An individual's responses to the race question and to the Hispanic origin question were based upon self-identification.

Change in Asian Alone Population 2000 - 2010

Asian 2000 2010

Change

Number Percent

Asian Alone 10,242,998 14,674,252 4,431,254 43.2

Chinese 2,432,585 3,347,229 914,644 37.5

Asian Indian 1,678,765 2,843,391 1,164,626 69.3

Filipino 1,850,314 2,555,923 705,609 38.1

Vietnamese 1,122,528 1,548,449 425,921 37.9

Korean 1,076,872 1,423,784 346,912 32.2

Japanese 796,700 763,325 -33,375 -4.1

Other Asian 1,285,234 2,192,151 906,917 70.5

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census ___________________________________ This summary was prepared as an aid in responding to inquiry about the Vietnamese population in the United States. For more information, please contact Anh T. Nguyen, U.S. Census Bureau / Atlanta Region, email [email protected], or call (404) 423-0812. These charts and tables were created for educational and display purposes only, not for publication, replication, or distribution. Data availability varies, depending on topics and survey parameters. All data can be retrieved from the U.S. Census website: www.census.gov, or otherwise noticed. Updated June 2011.

Asian Alone Population in the United States: 2010 Asian 14,674,252 Chinese 3,347,229 Asian Indian 2,843,391 Filipino 2,555,923 Vietnamese 1,548,449 Korean 1,423,784 Japanese 763,325 Other Asian 2,192,151

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census

Over half of the Vietnamese population lived in the West region. Between 2000 and 2010, the South had experienced the largest percentage growth in Vietnamese population by 34.1%. However, this is a decrease from 49.7% in between 1990 and 2000. Respectively, the West grew by 25.2% (down from 40.8% in previous decade); Midwest 21.6% (down from 51.4%), and Northeast 21.5% (down from 47.6%).

According to Census geography, the Northeast region includes the states of CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT. Midwest: IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WS. West: AK, AR, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY. South: AL, AR, DE, D.C., FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV. By far, California had the largest concentration of Vietnamese by state, 581,946, followed by Texas (210,913), Washington (66,575), Florida (58,470), and Virginia (53,529).

California gained the most (134,914), while West Virginia experienced the fastest growth (138%), followed by Nevada (124%), Wyoming (91%), Arizona (87%), and Florida and Delaware (76%).

Change in Vietnamese Population by Region: 2000-2010

2000 2010 2000 - 2010

Number Percent

Northeast 115,487 147,186 31,699 21.50

Midwest 106,938 136,407 29,469 21.60

West 564,424 755,408 190,984 25.20

South 335,679 509,448 173,769 34.10

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 and 2010 Census

Top 10 States with Largest Vietnamese Population: 2010 1 California 581,946 2 Texas 210,913 3 Washington 66,575 4 Florida 58,470 5 Virginia 53,529 6 Georgia 45,263 7 Massachusetts 42,915 8 Pennsylvania 39,008 9 New York 28,764

10 Louisiana 28,352

Top 10 U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas with Largest Vietnamese Population: 2010

1 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA 271,234 2 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 125,774 3 Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, 103,525 4 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, 71,839 5 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD 58,767 6 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 55,636 7 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 55,114 8 San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 44,202 9 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 36,554

10 Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH 32,353 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Demographic Profile

Top 10 Cities with Largest Vietnamese Population: 2010

1 San Jose city, California 100,486

2 Garden Grove city, California 47,331

3 Westminster city, California 36,058

4 Houston city, Texas 34,838

5 San Diego city, California 33,149

6 Santa Ana city, California 23,167

7 Los Angeles city, California 19,969

8 Anaheim city, California 14,706

9 Philadelphia city, Pennsylvania 14,431

10 New York city, New York 13,387 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census

The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA Metro Area had the largest Vietnamese population of 271,234, followed by San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (125,774), Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX (103,525), Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (71,839), and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV (58,767).

A Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) consists of one or more counties and includes the counties containing the core urban area with population of 50,000 or more, as well as any adjacent counties that have a high degree of social and economic integration (as measured by commuting to work) with the urban core.

Most Vietnamese resided in an array of counties, the largest tended to be found in coastal and/or urban counties. The majority of Vietnamese population was predominantly concentrated in suburbs of large metropolitan areas.

Among the large metropolitan areas, the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA had the largest percentage of Vietnamese residing in the core city

Vietnamese Population by County: 2010 (with 5,000 or more) Orange County, California 183,766 Santa Clara County, California 125,695 Los Angeles County, California 87,468 Harris County, Texas 80,409 San Diego County, California 44,202 King County, Washington 38,726 Alameda County, California 30,533 Tarrant County, Texas 29,128 Fairfax County, Virginia 28,770 Dallas County, Texas 26,276 Sacramento County, California 25,030 Maricopa County, Arizona 18,934 Gwinnett County, Georgia 16,022 Fort Bend County, Texas 15,557 Riverside County, California 14,623 Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania 14,431 Multnomah County, Oregon 13,969 Cook County, Illinois 13,522 San Francisco County, California 12,871 San Bernardino County, California 12,819 Suffolk County, Massachusetts 12,109 Montgomery County, Maryland 12,089 Travis County, Texas 11,231 Orange County, Florida 10,709 Collin County, Texas 10,013 Snohomish County, Washington 9,790 Sedgwick County, Kansas 9,408 Honolulu County, Hawaii 8,887 Clark County, Nevada 8,483 Middlesex County, Massachusetts 8,361 Hennepin County, Minnesota 8,305 Jefferson Parish, Louisiana 8,288 Mecklenburg County, North Carolina 8,143 San Joaquin County, California 7,812 Contra Costa County, California 7,401 Oklahoma County, Oklahoma 7,316 Clayton County, Georgia 7,211 Norfolk County, Massachusetts 7,108 Worcester County, Massachusetts 6,892 Pinellas County, Florida 6,888 Washington County, Oregon 6,871 Hillsborough County, Florida 6,626 Pierce County, Washington 6,598 Salt Lake County, Utah 6,513 Orleans Parish, Louisiana 5,994 Denton County, Texas 5,764 Guilford County, North Carolina 5,658 Kent County, Michigan 5,314 Denver County, Colorado 5,055

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census

of San Jose: 79%. At the other end of the spectrum, like elsewhere in D.C., Los Angeles, and Dallas MSA, a small percentage of Vietnamese population resided inside the core city. For example, of the total 28 counties making up the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta MSA, the 2010 Census counted 731 Vietnamese, or 2 percent lived in the city of Atlanta, while there were 36,554 Vietnamese residing in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta MSA.

Of the 3,141 counties in the United States, 184 counties had Vietnamese population of 1,000 or more. Orange County, CA, had the largest Vietnamese population, 183,766, followed by Santa Clara County, CA (125,695), Los Angeles County, CA (87,468), Harris County, TX (80,409, and San Diego County, CA (44,202).

Census 2010 showed that San Jose, CA had the largest Vietnamese population by city with 100,486, followed by Garden Grove, CA ( 47,331), Westminster, CA (36,058), Houston, TX (34,838), and San Diego, CA (33,149).

Top 5 U.S. Cities with High Percent of Vietnamese

Population: 2010 City Percent

Midway City CDP, CA 41.4 Westminster city, CA 40.2 Garden Grove city, CA 27.7 Fountain Valley city, CA 20.7 Morrow city, GA 20.3

Change in Vietnamese Population by State: 2010 (Largest to smallest)

Geography Census Change

2000 2010 Number Percent California 447,032 581,946 134,914 30% Texas 134,961 210,913 75,952 56% Washington 46,149 66,575 20,426 44% Florida 33,190 58,470 25,280 76% Virginia 37,309 53,529 16,220 43% Georgia 29,016 45,263 16,247 56% Massachusetts 33,962 42,915 8,953 26% Pennsylvania 30,037 39,008 8,971 30% New York 23,818 28,764 4,946 21% Louisiana 24,358 28,352 3,994 16% North Carolina 15,596 27,304 11,708 75% Oregon 18,890 26,195 7,305 39% Illionois 19,101 25,036 5,935 31% Arizona 12,931 24,216 11,285 87% Maryland 16,744 23,635 6,891 41% Minnesota 18,824 23,544 4,720 25% Colorado 15,457 20,899 5,442 35% New Jersey 15,180 20,628 5,448 36% Michigan 13,673 16,787 3,114 23% Oklahoma 12,566 16,258 3,692 29% Missouri 10,626 14,523 3,897 37% Kansas 11,623 14,015 2,392 21% Ohio 9,812 13,121 3,309 34% Tennessee 7,007 10,033 3,026 43% Nevada 4,420 9,892 5,472 124% Hawaii 7,867 9,779 1,912 24% Connecticut 7,538 9,341 1,803 24% Iowa 7,129 8,347 1,218 17% Utah 5,968 8,025 2,057 34% Nebraska 6,364 7,910 1,546 24% Alabama 4,628 7,398 2,770 60% Mississippi 5,387 7,025 1,638 30% Indiana 4,843 6,845 2,002 41% South Carolina 4,248 6,801 2,553 60% Arkansas 3,974 5,515 1,541 39% Kentucky 3,596 5,046 1,450 40% Wisconsin 3,891 4,877 986 25% New Mexico 3,274 4,726 1,452 44% New Hamshire 1,697 2,472 775 46% Maine 1,323 1,713 390 29% Idaho 1,323 1,707 384 29% Delaware 817 1,438 621 76% Rhode Island 952 1,326 374 39% Vermont 980 1,019 39 4% Alaska 814 960 146 18% West Virginia 379 901 522 138% South Dakota 574 762 188 33% North Dakota 478 640 162 34% Montana 199 297 98 49% Wyoming 100 191 91 91% District of Columbia 1,903 1,567 -336 -18% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 and 2010 Census

Midway City, CA had the highest proportion of Vietnamese in its total population: 41.4%, compared with 10.6% in San Jose, CA. However, Midway City is an unincorporated area, i.e. without its own government. The Census Bureau assigned the city as a Census Designated Place (CDP) for statistical purpose. Its boundary has no legal status.

From the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s, the Vietnamese population grew considerably, in part due to higher level of immigration. The population increased by 134.8% between 1980 and 1990; 82.6% between 1990 and 2000. Since 2000 onward, the growth of Vietnamese population began to slow down, by 37.9% between 2000 and 2010.

Language Spoken at Home Other Than English According to the 2007 ACS report , from 1980 to 2007, Vietnamese speakers had the largest percentage increase (511 percent) of people speaking a language other than English at home. While increased immigration led to gains for some language groups, other groups experienced aging populations and dwindling migrant flows into the United States. Foreign Born Population

Vietnamese Foreign-born Population Estimates Number Percent Total population 1,471,509 100 Native 473,810 22.2 Foreign born 997,699 67.8 Naturalized U.S. citizen 726,342 72.8 Not a U.S. citizen 271,357 27.2

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2007-2009 ACS

Age According to the 2009 American Community Survey, the median age of the total U.S. population was 36.8 years. The overall median age for people reported Asian alone was 35.7 years, and Vietnamese was 35.4 years. Since 2000, Vietnamese population median age has increased from 30.5 years to 35.4 years in 2009. The age distribution varied considerably among Asian groups. The Vietnamese alone under 17 years was 25.6% of its total population, according to the 2007-2009 ACS, compared with the youngest group, the Hmong at 43.9%. Among the older population of 65 years and over, Vietnamese distribution was 8.3%, compared with Japanese: 22.4%, highest among Asian groups.

Poverty

Poverty Rates for Vietnamese Families

and People for Whom Poverty Status is

Determined

Percent

All families 10.7 Married-couple family 8.7 Female householder, no husband present, family 21.6

All people 13.1 65 years and over 11.6

Homeownership Homeownership rates have served as an indicator of the nation’s or a community’s economy for decades. These data are used by the government in establishing Fair Market Rents, mortgage insurance, home energy assistance, house value, Section 8 and other housing program subsidies, and overall viability of local housing markets. Local planners use data on tenure to assess neighborhood stability. Banks use the data to distribute funds for mortgage insurance, for rental housing in urban renewal areas, and for national defense housing.

Marital Status

Economic Characteristics The robust revenues of Asian-owned firms and the growth in the number of businesses indicated that minority entrepreneurs are at the forefront as engines for growth in U.S. economy. The 2007 Survey of Business Owners (SOB), conducted by the Census Bureau, showed that Vietnamese small business ownership had grown by 55.8% since 2002, compared to 40.4% among Asian-owned firms.

Household Relationship

The 2007 SOB showed that Vietnamese owned 229,149 firms, or 14.8% of total firms owned by Asian, generating $28.8 billion in receipts. Of all the total firms, 66.9% were in the repair, maintenance, personal, laundry services and the retail trade, ranking #1 among Asian groups. There were 29,782 Vietnamese-owned employer firms, an increase of 16.4 percent from 2002. These firms employed 166,425 persons and had a total payroll of $3.8 billion. In 2007, these firms generated $21.0 billion in receipts, an increase of 82.1 percent from 2002. In 2007, employer firms accounted for 13.0 percent of the total number of Vietnamese-owned firms and 72.9 percent of Vietnamese-owned firms’ receipts.

The number of Vietnamese-owned firms with no paid employees accounted for 87.0 percent of the total number of Vietnamese-owned firms and 27.1 percent of receipts. There were 199,367 Vietnamese-

owned firms had no paid employees, an increase of 64.2 percent from 2002. These nonemployer firms generated $7.8 billion in receipts, an increase of 96.0 percent from 2002.

Political Empowerment

Census results have a profound impact on all levels of America's political landscape. Population data is used to redistribute congressional representation. Gaining or losing a congressional seat means an increase or decrease in power. To ensure equal representation across the country, the Supreme Court ruled that every district must be "substantially equal," by using the Method of Equal Proportions to allocate seats among the states. The results of the 2010 Census showed that each U.S. Representative represented about 647,000 people. Congressional reapportionment also triggers a second process called Redistricting. Legislative boundaries must be redrawn to incorporate the change in population, even in states

Kind of Business

_____________________________________________________

that experience no change in congressional seats.

Racially-balanced representation, for example, is one but many factors closely monitored and reinforced by the Justice Department, in compliance with the Voting Right Acts.

The Census Bureau delivers the redistricting statistics, called Public Law 94-171 Data, also known as Redistricting Data to state government. The law specifies that total population count be provided, by race and Hispanic origin, and voting-age population for every political geography within the state, as well as for census tracks, block groups, and blocks.

Voting The Census Bureau's 2008 Current Population Survey showed that 57.1% of the voting-age population casted votes for Presidential election and 53.3% for U.S. House of Representatives. Asian had lower registration and voting rates than total U.S. voting-age population. Of the total Asian voting-age population, 55.3% registered to vote, compared to 71% for all U.S. voting-age population. Yet, 47.6% of all the registered individuals reported voting, compared to 63.6% for all U.S. voting-age population. Naturalized citizens registered to vote and voted more than native citizens. 57.8% Asian naturalized citizens of Asian registered to vote, compared to 51% among Asian native citizens. Of all the registered, 49.1% of naturalized citizens voted, compared to 47.6% Asian native citizens. According to the 2007-2009 American Community Survey, 67.8%

of the Vietnamese population were foreign-born. Of all the Vietnamese foreign-born, 72.8% were naturalized U.S. citizens.

Midway City, CA has the largest percentage of Vietnamese population by city at 41.4%. Yet, Midway City is an unincorporated area. It has no own government.

San Jose, CA has the largest concentration of Vietnamese by city. 71.1% of the total Vietnamese population was foreign-born. Of which, 78.5% were naturalized citizens.

____________________________________________________ This summary was prepared as an aid in responding to inquiry about the Vietnamese population in the United States. For more information, please contact Anh T. Nguyen, U.S. Census Bureau / Atlanta Region, email [email protected], or call (404) 423-0812. These charts and tables were created for educational and display purposes only, not for publication, replication, or distribution. Data availability varies, depending on topics and survey parameters. All data can be retrieved from the U.S. Census website: www.census.gov, or otherwise noticed. Updated June 2011.

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Please email us at [email protected].

Resources: Scholarships and Grants

BEST COAST ?NO COAST !

MIDWEST !

[email protected]

Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of the Midwest • Vol. 1 | Issue 3

The Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fundwww.apiasf.org – Applies to a variety of students with different career paths

The Asian Pacific American Librarians Associationwww.apalaweb.org/awards/ – Applies to students interested in a librarian and books-based career

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Associationwww.napaba.org/napaba/showpage.asp?code=scholarships – Applies to students interested in law

The Asian American Journalists Associationwww.aaja.org/programs/for_students/scholarships/ – Applies to students interested in journalism

US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundationcelebrasianconference.com/about-celebrasian/scholarships/overview/ – Applies to a variety of students with different career paths