Citation: Joseph Wood, “Vietnamese American Place Making in Northern Virginia,” Geographical Review 87, no. 1 (January 1997), 58-72.
The City of Alexandria has always been a place where immigrant groups coming to the D.C. Metro area have flocked. Throughout the city’s history, groups of new Americans coming from all corners of the globe have made Alexandria their home and have endured hardships, embraced successes, and helped to make Alexandria what it is today. One particular migrant group that has shaped the City of Alexandria is Vietnamese refugees who fled their war-torn home and migrated to America. Through our research this semester, we have found that Vietnamese migrants to Alexandria and neighboring counties came in a few distinct waves. Early migrants relied heavily on relationships with U.S. government officials, while later groups found support from family members and charity organizations to settle in Alexandria. Once in the city, these new immigrants selectively adapted to their new lives in the United States while still maintaining certain aspects of their Vietnamese culture.
Immigration Background and Process
This blog post was researched and written by Corey Dyke and Daniel Webb
