Vietnamese Canadian
Encyclopedia
Mainstream Vietnamese communities began arriving in Canada
in the mid 1970s and early 1980s as refugees or boat people
following the end of the Vietnam War
in 1975, though a couple thousand were already living in Quebec before then, most of whom were students. Most new arrivees were sponsored by groups of individuals, temples, and churches and settled in areas around Southern Ontario
, Montreal, Quebec, and Vancouver, British Columbia. Between 1975 to 1985, 110,000 settled in Canada
(23,000 in Ontario; 13,000 in Quebec; 8,000 in Alberta; 7,000 British Columbia; 5,000 in Manitoba; 3,000 in Saskatchewan; and 2,000 in the Maritime provinces). As time passed, most eventually settled in urban centres like Toronto
, Montreal
, Vancouver
, Ottawa
, Edmonton, Hamilton
and Calgary.
The next wave of Vietnamese migration came in the late 1980s and 1990s as both refugees and immigrant classes of post-war Vietnam
entered Canada. These groups settled in urban areas, in particular Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver.
Vietnamese immigrants settled mainly in the eastern sections of Vancouver
and in Montreal's downtown and south shore. In Toronto
they have settled in the city's Chinatown area near Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street West or to the west in Mississauga
. Vietnamese Canadians also brought their cuisine and phở
has become a popular food everywhere in Canada.
Humanitarians
Entertainers
Politicians
Business
Others
In Vancouver
, hardworking Vietnamese Canadians managed to open a variety of stores and restaurants throughout Vancouver, especially on the east side of the city around Kingsway and Fraser. The area is home to several Vietnamese clothing, food stores, and shops.
Vietnamese Canadians have also opened up stores and restaurants in Central City, Surrey
which is a growing suburb of Metro Vancouver.
In the Toronto area, there are 19 Vietnamese owned supermarkets.
In Montreal there are about 40,000 Vietnamese Canadian population among highest median income and education of Vietnamese Canadians in major cities. There are more than 100 Vietnamese restaurants, hundreds of small size manufacturers of different products from clothing to technology, about 80 pharmacies and hundreds of doctors, dentists, over a thousand scientists, engineers and technicians, about sixty convenient stores and groceries. Since Nov 2006, Mr. Ngo Van Tan has started a daring project to promote and build the first Vietnam Town in Canada called Vietnamville near metro Jean Talon including St-Denis, Jean Talon, St-Hubert and Belanger streets with over 130 businesses already opened in the area. Investment opportunities in Vietnam Town are open to Vietnamese worldwide.
About Vietnamese Canadians
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in the mid 1970s and early 1980s as refugees or boat people
Boat people
Boat people is a term that usually refers to refugees, illegal immigrants or asylum seekers who emigrate in numbers in boats that are sometimes old and crudely made...
following the end of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
in 1975, though a couple thousand were already living in Quebec before then, most of whom were students. Most new arrivees were sponsored by groups of individuals, temples, and churches and settled in areas around Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
, Montreal, Quebec, and Vancouver, British Columbia. Between 1975 to 1985, 110,000 settled in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(23,000 in Ontario; 13,000 in Quebec; 8,000 in Alberta; 7,000 British Columbia; 5,000 in Manitoba; 3,000 in Saskatchewan; and 2,000 in the Maritime provinces). As time passed, most eventually settled in urban centres like Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Edmonton, Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
and Calgary.
The next wave of Vietnamese migration came in the late 1980s and 1990s as both refugees and immigrant classes of post-war Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
entered Canada. These groups settled in urban areas, in particular Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver.
Vietnamese immigrants settled mainly in the eastern sections of Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
and in Montreal's downtown and south shore. In Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
they have settled in the city's Chinatown area near Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street West or to the west in Mississauga
Mississauga, Ontario
Mississauga is a city in Southern Ontario located in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area. With an estimated population of 734,000, it is Canada's sixth-most populous municipality, and has almost doubled in population in each of the last two decades...
. Vietnamese Canadians also brought their cuisine and phở
PHO
PHO may refer to:* Primary Health Organisation* Potentially hazardous object, an asteroid or comet that could potentially collide with Earth...
has become a popular food everywhere in Canada.
Notable Canadians of Vietnamese origin
Artists- Tommy TonTommy TonTommy Ton is a Canadian photographer known for his fashion blog Jak & Jil, and his street style coverage of fashion weeks on Style.com and GQ.com. His favorite subjects are fashion editors, the likes of Carine Roitfeld, and Anna Dello Russo...
- Photographer
Humanitarians
- Paul NguyenPaul NguyenPaul Nguyen, O.M.C. is a Vietnamese-Canadian filmmaker. He is an award-winning social activist, journalist and founder of Jane-Finch.com.- Life and career :...
- Activist, journalist, and documentarian - Phan Thị Kim Phúc - Humanitarian, UNESCO ambassador, Vietnam War Survivor
Entertainers
- Christy ChungChristy ChungChristy Chung is Chinese-Canadian actress. She was born in Montreal to a Chinese father and a Vietnamese mother.Chung grew up in Brossard, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal, with French and Vietnamese as mother-tongues...
, Hong Kong based actress - Chuckie AkenzChuckie AkenzC-A aka Phong Nguyen is a Vietnamese-Canadian rapper. He was born on January 21, 1986. He grew up in the notorious Jane and Finch neighbourhood of Toronto, Canada. Chuckie rose to notoriety with the filming of an amateur rap video called "You Got Beef?" The music video was widely viewed on the...
(aka Phong Nguyen) is a song writer and rapper - Dang Thai SonDang Thai SonĐặng Thái Sơn is a Vietnamese pianist, winner at the Tenth International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw.-Musical career:...
, pianist - David HuynhDavid HuynhDavid Huynh is a Canadian Actor. Huynh won a Special Jury Prize at the 2007 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival for Outstanding Newcomer Award and Best Emerging Actor for his performance in Juwan Chung's Baby, which also won a Special Jury Award for Best Feature Length Film at that year's...
, Los Angeles based actor - Kim ThúyKim ThúyKim Thúy is a Canadian writer, whose debut novel Ru won the Governor General's Award for French language fiction at the 2010 Governor General's Awards....
, writer, food critic, and lawyer - Minh Thanh Nguyen, non-fiction writer - Leaving Vietnam (1996)
- Nguyen Ngoc NganNguyen Ngoc NganNguyễn Ngọc Ngạn is a Vietnamese-Canadian writer and essayist.He was born in Sơn Tây, Vietnam, but his family moved to South Vietnam when the Geneva Accords divided the country in 1945...
, writer, essayist, and host of Paris By Night - Siu TaSiu TaSiu Ta is a Vietnamese Canadian actress and independent short film producer.- Biography :Born in South Vietnam, she moved to Canada with her family at age seven. A graduate of the University of Toronto majoring in drama, she has been steadily building a career in film and stage entertainment since...
, actress (This is WonderlandThis Is WonderlandThis Is Wonderland was a Canadian television series which aired on CBC Television. The series is a legal drama with comedic elements, or a comedy-drama. It was created by playwright George F...
) - Tam Doan, singer
- Thien-Linh Truong - Member of Breakdancing crew Bluprint Cru, runners up on the fifth season of Americas Best Dance Crew.
- Thuong Vuong-Riddick, poet - Two Shores / Deux Rives (1995)
- Johnny Tien Nguyen - also known as Boss Nguyen by many, member of the break dancing crew pho7
Politicians
- Anne Minh-Thu QuachAnne Minh-Thu QuachAnne Minh-Thu Quach, MP is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 2011 election. She represents the electoral district of Beauharnois—Salaberry as a member of the New Democratic Party.She has taught French in a high school there for six years...
federal Member of Parliament for Beauharnois-Salaberry - Hoang MaiHoang Mai (politician)Hoang Mai is a Canadian politician, who was elected as a New Democratic Party Member of Parliament for Brossard—La Prairie in the 2011 Canadian federal election...
, federal Member of Parliament for Brossard-La Prairie. - Ève-Mary Thaï Thi LacÈve-Mary Thaï Thi LacÈve-Mary Thaï Thi Lac is a Canadian politician. She was elected to the Canadian House of Commons on September 17, 2007, as the Bloc Québécois candidate in the Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot by-election, defeating the Conservative candidate Bernard Barré.Born in Vietnam, Thi Lac was adopted at age two by a...
, former federal Member of Parliament for Saint-Hyacinthe—BagotSaint-Hyacinthe—BagotSaint-Hyacinthe—Bagot is a federal electoral district that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1935. It is located in Quebec, Canada. Its population in 2006 was 95,983.-Geography:...
(2007–present)
- Hung PhamHung PhamHung Pham or Hung Kim Pham is a former politician and information expert in Alberta, Canada. He formerly served as a member of Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada.-Early Life:...
, MLA for Calgary MontroseCalgary MontroseCalgary Montrose is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district is one of 83 in the province mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta of Alberta, Canada....
(1993–2008) - Wayne CaoWayne CaoWayne Cao is a Canadian politician and current member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, where he represents the district of Calgary-Fort as a Progressive Conservative. He was first elected in the 1997 provincial election and has been re-elected four times since...
, MLALegislative Assembly of AlbertaThe Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
for Calgary FortCalgary FortCalgary Fort is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada.The Electoral District is named after historical Fort Calgary.The district lies in the Central SE of the city....
(1997–present)
Business
- Minh LeMinh LeMinh Le , also known by his online nickname Gooseman, is a Vietnamese-Canadian computer game developer who co-created the popular Half-Life mod Counter-Strike with Jess Cliffe in 1999...
, Software Engineer, created the popular first person shooter Counter Strike. - Trần Triệu QuânTrần Triệu QuânTrần Triệu Quân was a Vietnamese-Canadian grandmaster of taekwondo and a professional engineer. He was President of one of the three International Taekwon-Do Federation groups from mid-2003 until his death in the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Trần held the rank of 9th dan black belt in taekwondo.Trần...
, engineer, businessman and president of the International Taekwon-Do Federation.
Others
- Carol HuynhCarol HuynhCarol Huynh is a Canadian freestyle wrestler. Her parents are ethnic Chinese in Vietnam . Born in British Columbia, her parents were refugees from Vietnam who settled in the town of New Hazelton, British Columbia, after being sponsored by the local United Church...
, freestyle wrestler, Olympics medal winner - FatherFatherA father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
Dinh Nghi, Catholic priest - Hai Trieu, a former president of the Vietnam Community Association of Vancouver and current editor of Viet Nam magazine
Business
In Canada, local Vietnamese media is dominated by:- Thoi Bao - Toronto newspaper
- Thoi Bao TV - Toronto
- Vietnamville - Montreal
- Phố Việt Montreal, printed newspaper of Vietnamville.ca
- VietSun Magazine - Toronto magazine
In Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, hardworking Vietnamese Canadians managed to open a variety of stores and restaurants throughout Vancouver, especially on the east side of the city around Kingsway and Fraser. The area is home to several Vietnamese clothing, food stores, and shops.
Vietnamese Canadians have also opened up stores and restaurants in Central City, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
which is a growing suburb of Metro Vancouver.
In the Toronto area, there are 19 Vietnamese owned supermarkets.
In Montreal there are about 40,000 Vietnamese Canadian population among highest median income and education of Vietnamese Canadians in major cities. There are more than 100 Vietnamese restaurants, hundreds of small size manufacturers of different products from clothing to technology, about 80 pharmacies and hundreds of doctors, dentists, over a thousand scientists, engineers and technicians, about sixty convenient stores and groceries. Since Nov 2006, Mr. Ngo Van Tan has started a daring project to promote and build the first Vietnam Town in Canada called Vietnamville near metro Jean Talon including St-Denis, Jean Talon, St-Hubert and Belanger streets with over 130 businesses already opened in the area. Investment opportunities in Vietnam Town are open to Vietnamese worldwide.
External links
Vietnamese Canadian organizations- Vietnamese Canadian Federation (Non-profit organizationNon-profit organizationNonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
) - Fondation VinaVie Humanitaire (Non-profit organizationNon-profit organizationNonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
) - Vietnamese Canadian Community of Ottawa (Non-profit organizationNon-profit organizationNonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
) - Radio Tieng Noi Tre (Non-profit organizationNon-profit organizationNonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
) - Youths In Action Sports (Non-profit organizationNon-profit organizationNonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
)
About Vietnamese Canadians
- History of Vietnamese Canadians(Source: the Canada's Digital Collections)
- Civilization.ca - Boat People No Longer: Vietnamese Canadians - Religion(the Canadian Museum of Civilization)
- Vietnamese(Discover Vancouver)
- Welcome to Canada(CBCCanadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
Archives, the ) - Sponsoring refugees: Canadians reach out(CBC Archives)
- Multicultural Canada website Vietnamese Boat People collection including photographs, correspondence, books, magazines, oral histories, newsletters, personal items, and organizational records.