Documentary; Indochinese Refugees: A Second Look

Hey. Vietnam at one time it seemed to be indelibly etched in our barns. But time has he raised the impression for most of us that even if we search our memories how much did any of us ever really know about that country and its people. The most ingenious of cheering me is rain and dread he is a friends to whom me to a T need stay as fade left for her to love this fate. Lend me if I can I know this and he is of Chinese for me dritte years of friends to hold me and to see as it was each day as fate. Oh as lead to draw I angry that fear the mountain.

I just won't let me forget it. Thanks. Thanks for being. A kid soon I'll see you home one on one P.M. on. We remember the war of course. It cost 50000 American lives. In dredging up that painful memory keep in mind the fact that most of the attitudes Americans and Vietnamese have about each other are colored by the tragedies of that war. Made worse because it was launched. Yes I'm not that far gone from us me and say no more on my knee or so no nos and I can have none now. So you can

have enough to stop me and sometimes I hear people mention that they are here. You have to be careful and know what the people are left behind you didn't have enough to eat. And shame on us to be here. We engaged in that long bloody tragic mistaken war in Vietnam. The lives of many people over there were uprooted and destroyed in addition to the have a create in our country many refugees were compelled to flee for their lives from their homes and their countries and our country. Having made national decision to participate in that war made a national decision to allow refugees to come here to seek a haven and a new home and a new life. I was with the guerrilla warfare you know and I kind of glossed over that but hell I saw dozens of people killed. I saw dozens of people right not by and not necessarily by us or by highly disciplined in other words these were the cream of the crop of the Vietnamese soldiers. It was an OK thing to do and I guess I have some concern about those folks walking around the

streets here and being all right but I had the same kind of concern for our guys if it were you know a lot of our communities and same thing. From the beginning there were cultural distinctions that plague understanding between Americans and Vietnamese. For example the big majority of Indo Chinese are Buddhists but most of the leaders and the educated elite of the old regimes were Catholic result of French colonial rule. Many ordinary people were Catholic too. And what that gave them in contrast to the Buddhists was at least a tenuous connection to our Western culture. That distinction led to a misunderstanding in Vietnam that left a profound impression on combat veteran Howard Hunt. It was very clear to me. That. That was a religious difference very strongly is that. No one in any power of authority. South Vietnam and at times like you know what. Everyone on the news of this day was

Oriental was Tauriel religion like Buddhism. And that you know to go in and wipe out a Buddhist monastery and shoot up a few months was like nothing. The point here is that there are now more than 160000 Indo-Chinese refugees in this country and despite an intensive relationship in a long sad war or perhaps because of that there are bound to be cultural shocks and mixed feelings on both sides. One place they surfaced early on was here at Villa Park an apartment complex where several Vietnamese families began to settle three years ago. They are mostly boat people who came from fishing villages in Vietnam. They're also mostly Catholic which is a clue to why they fled Vietnam. They are fiercely anti-communist but there are the cultural affinity to neighboring Americans ceases. I've got enough on my hood and him still have a very happy what life in here they're living at this and you know I just said

All right we don't have any anything about a living facility. Compared to what does living I see that. The big issue is the apartment complex. There's too many people living in the each single family dwelling it's it's geared to say have a family of three four or four but there are sometimes up to 15 people in a single family dwelling. And whether it's Vienna me us or white or whatever it's an unhealthy situation that the lice they have in phone tag go on around and lice and should have shingles for a while. We have we have talked about having the people come in and sit down at it at the dinner table invite them over for dinner and get acquainted with a bit amazed at one of the council meetings that we attended. A Vietnamese gentleman came. I can't remember his name but he spoke in front of the council and the people. And his concern he was very much concerned about his

children the way we were concerned about ours. And we talked to him afterwards. And this is what we were going to try to do is is have meetings have him over invite Him into our homes. But it was never brought about now I don't know if we could have done about that but they were the thing to say they weren't learning English because there were so many of them. Same thing was a minor scale in the classrooms that this is what the big problem was. They would. The teachers would send them to their work areas and have them do certain things and she'd turn her back and they'd all group back together and speaking Vietnamese and they weren't learning. And this was very bad because they were they just were not assimilating the same thing was happening with the adults. If they were forced to speak English forced to live with us then they would learn it. But when they just go back in their own community there's no reason to learn that that's exactly what was happening so if you want over there especially the beginning they've just been taken out of El Toro. But over here they can

speak any English and the few that could you know you really couldn't understand them and they would probably think you know they wouldn't they didn't trust us really either so there was just no reason to go and try to talk to them. It does give them is. Especially fisherman in Vietnam who came to this country who were run not just well educated and other people. They lived to class today. In one area and that we have been that discouraging them. Not to say the glassed in a small area like that and. Maybe in the future they will flying out that the best way to scare those out and to leave just sit with the American people.

We sure do understand as a coach I hear progress to just now he said. But it's mean that the words that I said that it means that you should keep me have to enter the store to know I'm doing this thing so can't you hear it must be said here that the Villa Park situation is not typical for all Indo-Chinese refugees. The full story covers a wide spectrum of plight and progress. Herod Oh I see. We've seen a transition or a change in the major student population in 1974 75. We started out with a majority white followed by a Chicano population 75 76 the new second place Chicano population was replaced by the Pacific Asians mostly

in the china refugees. And in the 76 77 the Asian population shifted to the majority position here. Today we're running nearly 80 percent. Because of occasions again composed mostly of the in the time of refugees. I think that any time other people come into the United States no matter what country they're from that they definitely are competing with Americans on the job force. I feel sorry for the Vietnamese I feel badly for the things they've been through and I would like to help them. Right now I'm really trying to help myself. So it's hard to think of giving up jobs to other people. If we can all work together somehow and there would be an equalization here that would be nice and fortunately there's not. And I do think that the Vietnamese are costing us jobs to give people something after that. So I don't feel any resentment out of those people coming here looking for work.

I feel that we American Natives should have free spirit from St. John's though we know that others have to come in and have to have jobs and places to live and live the way the economy is going way that taxes. I feel that the Americans should have a first choice because there's been a there have been various things extremely fast. He's very productive and he made very good progress within the last two years. Finally he got adjusted to American. Workers and first hired him and they had a very hard. I am with him because he took him about maybe five minutes to sat at his knee and I could understand you know people a lot of people are born in you know southern countries. You just by a nature claim that they are there more or less. They're slow movements.

I was there from my last bit and my last frank to you first. I flew the U.S. seven gave us this and they're going to. Do Everything. For five years ago you'd be doing this. No I never prophesied doing that kept up in my life because I I think you know I stay in the service for ever you know. But then suddenly everything be over so I came over here and I start my new life this new job. We know you have Jim will soon have two more additional good amuse some trainees and some skilled assemblers. We have nothing but praise from the supervisors for all of them. I hesitate to make a you know sad statement that says as a group they're all super but we find that that's really true that in the innocence that they were all been very productive they've

learned fast and they've done an excellent job of of making contributions to our all rectories here and go with me if I was you get none now so I allow you if I was an icicle. But he had a chance. I kind of beat you know I can with a steady you know like school here because the endless ball and so I have to show is as good as I and they you know if I stay out maybe I will I will go to the army. You fight with them because I don't have time to study have you no self so I like to stay in them I can better what he's doing. My major auto mechanic. I. I study at Lincoln High School to see my stuff so I I will I will be in

sometime now collect this year. I guess I got some problem you know what I want to ask you Can I ask you you know one thing you know how can you know we make the money. That's one thing you know and the North think you know how can he know. You get a car or something like that we don't have nothing you know we single you know and make you know about to 65 and $3 an hour you know like how can we get a good job I'm just. Electronic you know. I looked on the USA on a number you know I can't find it. There's nothing to hide you know from me you know and they just lay me off. I'm going to take him home and and. And that's you know can you show us you know which way you know can we get a good job. I want you you know we don't have jobs. What kind of job you're looking for any kind you know but good job

and can just you know play you know. You know we don't you know worry about you know tomorrow we don't worry about tomorrow right. In my country you know we've got to more you know we've been over here you know we don't worry about that but you know we got you know money you know. When you talk you know somebody told me money to do this. Right. My family. Receive in $600 a month from the welfare department and. $300 out of it is for the rant. And I know that I'm at up to 350 so that's $250 including the first.

We have approximately 5000 people individuals receiving a cash assistance grant at this time. The rate you know of those receiving welfare we really don't know because we have no way of really identifying how many people are where but we know that we have a turnover in our case very few people are moving out of Orange County and we do discontinue you know on a regular basis. And assuming that it's because of income that are being discontinued because that's the reason that they receive assistance that people really are moving into the mainstream of the community. But it is a reality that there's a certain portion of this population that are going to be a lower socioeconomic members of this community that have large families they have no education for a generation or so. We're going to be dealing with an additional socio economic group. And now he is looking for a job as a

comforter or so but he went out to apply for a couple times and he filled out his own AP kitchen. So they turned him down. People like him is that. They were in the country countryside and they were not. I've never been into a formal education type that's going to help so much problems in north of you as you know. 90 percent of them serving in the army. So they didn't have any formal education. Man. Didn't want to be first when it got here and it really depressed the reason. They missed. Yeah relatives still remained in Vietnam and when they arrive here they are fessing up because of the language barrier.

We try to teach them some English. I don't mean that they can't understand the whole thing but at least they can communicate with their neighbor. For example when they were to say hello how are you I'm fine how are you doing. Some kind of question like that. So. I am away. When you meet people you have some kind of question. Hello. Your neighbors feel you know happy and friendly. The initial immigrants are refugees particularly the older people will do all they can to maintain their their cultural identity and they will pass this along. Soon they will attempt to pass along very strenuously to the younger the younger children who perhaps at times will resist this because it will not be compatible with what they're getting from their peer groups. And then perhaps as we're seeing in many parts of America today the third generation will go back and say gee we really wish we had we had a greater sense of identity and cultural understanding of

the heritage that we left behind. Holy God. I mean you know yeah I mean by wrong things. John I mean John not only

settle on a date and time with some don't know me not knowing where you are yet not yet. Thanks. If you say about American goods that is a friend to me is God how you know we have a new friend going to it. So we have to get along with American good but me I still like to have a Vietnamese girl. What is it about American girls you find hard to to go Oh my goodness it's cop out because when I went to talk to her he said he was somehow kind of thinking of. So look to say sweet Roopa something about you know her in school. You have even these high school. In his goes they they use most of the tanks to study and do a look at

home to help parents who look at home and American goes go out outof play games and you know 10 years suss you know that will you know that make them healthful you know them in health health you know. Yeah healthy and. And I think that Mark Preston. In high school at my high school I I have boys. I only have American boys and that is that there are not many Yemenis boys over there. There's only about three of four and they kind of hang together and they don't they don't like to talk would go even if they don't and they find more car porn get them to divorce his and you have not a lot more because of the stress of the same half now it's more of the same liking that they have to and from the Swiss support system

giving them I prize your status sound like yes you know. And I think if you have been drawn to have the force or rise or the people in the group give us the groceryman emotional support coming over here. It's a rifle as a husband under stress. World. War II financially they have no one to turn to buy the apartment and didn't want to discuss it any more. I think it's important to distinguish between an immigrant and a refugee also because then how thin the depression situation many times can come from the fact that they didn't choose to come didn't choose to leave didn't make a plan and you know we're not doing this for positive reasons first of all but for four or more refugees what's going on. The governments of Laos and Cambodia and Vietnam have made it quite clear that they're interested in a fundamental restructuring of the of the

society. Whether they do it rapidly and to it to extremes as we think is happening in Cambodia or whether it's more moderate and gradual as is happening in Laos and Vietnam it appears that it's going to continue. In fact in Vietnam for example in Laos it may continue at an accelerated pace. And this is going to mean that the refugee influx continues perhaps even in greater numbers. There are presently well over 100000 refugees in Thailand alone. Every time something takes place in Vietnam for example when you get a border flare up with Cambodia where there's a poor rice harvest somewhere they they begin to reemphasize their program of relocating people to two new economic zones or they initiate a new policy

of social. Programs. You get a new outflow of people who are for one reason or another as of a man who got stuck in Vietnam after the former of my country and has escaped by boat to savin countries before they accept that. I saw the article and I think the doctor and I've been involved in Vietnam for 20 years. Many of us anyway and it's just too much involved and I threw the phone because off for the rush. I think the 80 percent of people rather than to get out couldn't get best most of us can to read nucleation clear after being released of luck by some kind of Gram and see you from the new avoid us

we have a right I'll best get at once to be as good. Every country is in Southeast Asia was overlooked and we see this and many as myself off that one months of already. I can't run a gun but even then the US government has been over nothing. Well I hope that Vietnam is not going to follow the terms of old policies of Cambodia where people's lives have been uprooted by the millions. There are now rumors and reports that that may begin to occur in Vietnam I hope it doesn't. Again if it does we should try to help but we can't accept all of the refugees we we simply would have a greater burden than we could manage if we did we would not is it like a long movie good day back there in the second row. Then before Donnegan said they would do French. And on that is that

the various safeties out of a team. Yeah and it's not the end yet right. Yeah I know me in the end. Yeah maybe and yes. I'm going to get light. Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah. Michael told me.

Yeah yeah yeah yeah. The preceding program was made possible by grants from the California Council for the Humanities in public policy and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.