The end of the Vietnam War brought waves of refugees fleeing communism to the United States and other countries. Some of them were members of the South Vietnamese administration and military and their families. Some had worked closely with the American forces as interpreters and in military roles against the communists. Some were religious and ethnic minorities, including Amerasian children, fleeing persecution. And some were simply people looking for a better future for their families in a free country with more opportunity. Decades later, hundreds of thousands of them are well-established and integrated into American life. These are some of their success stories.

The Vietnam War

After World War II, Vietnam declared its independence from France and immediately plunged into civil war and a war of independence against its former colonial masters. The United States gradually became embroiled in the conflict at a tremendous cost in lives and treasure, ultimately losing the war. The communists overthrew the government of South Vietnam in 1975, leading to an exodus of about 2 million people over the next 15 years. About 1.3 million of these came to the United States.

Vietnamese Americans

As of 2023, the total population of Vietnamese Americans is estimated at 2.3 million, and they are one of the largest Asian-American populations in the country. The states with the largest Vietnamese-American populations are California, Texas, Washington, Florida, and Virginia. Their median income was $81,000 in 2022, which is higher than many other immigrant populations. However, 12% of them are below the poverty line, which is higher than average among ethnically Asian people in the United States. They are particularly well-represented in business, science, the arts, service industries, sales, and office work. 35% of those born abroad are fluent in English, while 90% of those born in the United States are. Politically, 47% of them identify as Republicans and 42% as Democrats.

Vietnam Today

Vietnam is one of the last remaining countries in the world ruled by a communist government, but it is pursuing market reforms much as China has and is open for business to the West. Many people consider it the last of the “Asian Tigers:” smaller East Asian countries that have prospered tremendously from manufacturing, high technology, and international trade. Relations with the United States have been warming, not only for the business opportunities, but because both countries perceive China to be a common threat in the region. China and Vietnam dispute ownership of several islands, along with fishing and mineral rights, in the South China Sea.

Next: Vietnamese-Americans who have found spectacular success in their new country.

1. Viet Thanh Nguyen

• Year of Immigration: 1975
• Notable Achievements: He won the Pulitzer Prize for The Sympathizer.
• Quote: “Immigrants, as troubling as they are to some people, are an integral part of what the American Dream is supposed to be.”

2. Chloe Dao

• Year of Immigration: 1979
• Notable Achievements: She is a celebrated fashion designer. She won Season 2 of the television contest “Project Runway.”
• Quote: “That’s the beauty of being in America: the diversity, that you can pretty much create your own story but still keep who you are and where you came from.”

3. Dat Phan

• Year of Immigration: 1980
• Notable Achievements: A popular standup comedian, he won Season 1 of “Last Comic Standing” in 2003.
• Quote: “Vietnam, we take over by doing pedicure! That’s how we take over. We take over one foot at a time! “

4. Stephanie Murphy

• Year of immigration: 1979.
• Notable Achievements: Murphy served as a Democratic congresswoman from Florida from 2017-23. This made her the first female Vietnamese-American member of Congress.
• Quote: “The freedoms and values we enjoy in the United States, we owe to our veterans.”

5. Binh Danh

• Year of Immigration: 1979
• Notable Achievements: Binh Danh is an innovative artist who developed a new technique of creating photographs printed on leaves and encased in resin. He calls these chlorophyll prints. Much of his work has focused on U.S. national parks.
• Quote: “We’re a nation of immigrants. We’re a nation of people for whom this is not our home, and the national parks are what anchor and root us on this continent.”

6. Thuc Doan Nguyen

• Year of Immigration: Early 1980s
• Notable Achievements: She is a screenwriter and novelist who explores the experience of Vietnamese Americans.
• Quote: “Being a Vietnamese-American woman to me means remembering that we are warriors . . . we must fight various kinds of things.”

7. Hong Chau

• Year of immigration: 1979
• Notable Achievements: An accomplished actress, Hong Chau has starred in the films “Downsizing,” “American Woman,” and “The Whale.” She was nominated for an Academy Award for her work in “The Whale.”
• Quote: “When you see something that needs to be done, you do it.”

8. Joseph Cao

• Year of immigration: 1975
• Notable Achievements: Cao was the first Vietnamese-American elected to the U.S. Congress, serving Louisiana as a Republican from 2009-2011.
• Quote: “I have to live with myself, and I always reflect on the phrase of the New Testament, ‘How does it profit a man’s life to gain the world but to lose his soul.'”

9. Eric Ly

• Year of immigration: 1975
• Notable Achievements: He was the co-founder and chief technology officer of LinkedIn. Today he is the CEO of the tech-based companies Hub and KarmaCheck.
• Quote: “It can be daunting to jump into community building but the important thing is to start.”

10. Ocean Vuong

• Year of immigration: 1990.
• Notable Achievements: Writer of the acclaimed novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous and winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize and a MacArthur “genius grant.”
• Quote: “Let no one mistake us for the fruit of violence – but that violence, having passed through the fruit, failed to spoil it.”

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