The Importance Of Vietnamese-American Education In The United States

Growing up in a family that have many relatives immigrating to the U.S in different ways, I always want to know more about people’s journey to the United States. Therefore, I decided to interview my Professor, Dr. Lan Hong about her journey coming to the U.S after Vietnam war.

One’s identity has the ability to play a central role in one’s schooling experience and in return, affect the way they perceive the world around them. Growing up in an Asian household located in a predominately Asian American neighborhood located in the San Gabriel Valley, I always identified myself strongly to my race and took pride in being a first generation Asian American child. Race has definitely affected my schooling experience in many different ways, both positively and negatively. In addition, there were a variety of other aspects such as stereotypical gender roles and socioeconomic class status which factored into the way I learned in the U.S. education system. In this paper, I will examine how race, class, and gender played a big role throughout my schooling experience.

Vietnamese did not magically appear in the United States, the Vietnam War sparked the immigration of Vietnamese to America. Vietnamese did not virtually exist in the United States until 1975 when the war forced Vietnamese to evacuate (Povell). The war began after Vietminh defeated France and split into North and South Vietnam (O’Connel). In 1956 communist Ho Chi Minh ruled the North Vietnam, and Bao Dai ruled the South, who the United States supported and backed up (O’Connel). The Vietnam War consisted of the North and South Vietnam, fighting against eachother in order to stay two separate countries. The North tried to overtake the South, and the United States sent in troops to

The following paper will discuss Vietnamese Americans and their journey to America. I will talk about how these incredible and resilient people fought to succeed it a world that seemed to hold the odds against them. The culture, beliefs, and challenges of Vietnamese people are a precise paradigm of their strength and perseverance.

However, the incessant hovering and excessive involvement from Asian parents can add tremendous pressure and stress onto young Asians. In the Daily Collegian News, Penn State sophomore Trevor Hsu expresses, “It puts pressure on Asian [students] themselves to fit that stereotype…they can feel that they let themselves [and their families] down because they have not achieved the level of excellence that the stereotype has set.” (qtd. in Dailey). Because they feel guilty and shameful, many Asian students are reluctant to admit to their parents and teachers that they have difficulties with class works and assignments as much as their non-Asian classmates and consequently, they do not received the support they need to improve their performance.

Asian-American students are often assumed to be the ones who finish on top academically. Due to the amount of high-ranking Asian-American students in schools throughout the United States, a cliché stereotype has been developed claiming all Asian students are “whiz kids.” The culture which Asian individuals practice differs by region however, majority of Asian individuals celebrate a different culture than mainstream Americans. I interviewed Susan, an Asian-American female who was born to an Asian mother, and an American father.

It has been 40 years since these group of people has step foot in America, and today it is one of the fastest growing and successful minorities group. One of the keys to their success is their value in education. Though, the first generation of Vietnamese American

According to the 2010 United States Census, California has the largest Vietnamese population of 581,946 in the United States. Before 1975 there were very few Vietnamese living in the United States. After the Vietnam War and the fall of Saigon in 1975, many Vietnamese refugees fled Vietnam resulting in three major waves of immigration. The first and second waves of immigration played a major role in Vietnamese refugees resettling in California. The last wave in the 1990s centered on family reunification. Since the 1970s, Vietnamese people escaping communist rule immigrated to the United States. Later they relocated to California hoping to start a life with many new opportunities. Attracted to California because of its clean environment, in turn they also influenced California’s agriculture.

The vietnam war was a time of grief for many who left their homeland and traveled thousands of miles on rocky ships to foreign lands with foreign languages. Homes were abandoned, paperwork was feverishly gathered, and there was hope for a better life out of vietnam. Scattered within refugee camps across the world, the “boat people” desperately waited for their new life, hoping for the best. However depending on when they resettled and what their reason for leaving Vietnam was, these immigrants and refugees had different experiences starting a new life socially and economically.

To some people this is not be viewed as a stereotype due to the fact it is not instantly perceived as “negative”; for those readers who delve in deeper, this stereotype outlines the educational daily hidden pressure of people from Chinese descent whom do not fit this “positive” stereotype. Every day, especially in American society, classmates look to their Asian counterparts to provide the answers to questions they do not know in every subject they take. Nonetheless, this ridiculous assumption hurts the Asian students that do not feel comfortable with their intellectual abilities. Placing Asian students as the “model student” excludes the students who actually have problems and need help that other classmates are reluctant to give the students simply because their classmates do not view helping their struggling Asian classmates as an actual necessity. By “poking” fun and bringing into light both Asian stereotypes, Yang enforces view that stereotypes are in use today.

No one can control what family they are born into nor what struggles are destined for them in the future. By the age of nine, my parents could no longer help me with my homework, rather they could only offer a few words of encouragement. The language barrier and cultural clash we experienced as a family put me at a disadvantage compared to other children my age.

The Vietnam War greatly changed America forever. It was the longest war fought in America’s history, lasting from 1955 to 1973.The war had two major effects on American people. First, the Vietnam War tarnished America’s self image by becoming the first time in history the United States failed to accomplish its stated war aims, to preserve a separate, independent, noncommunist government. It was the first war ever broadcast on television. The public was able to see what happened on the battlefield. Second, one of the chief effects of the war was the division it caused among the people. Not since the Civil War had America been so divided. This war would have lasting affects on the United States. To better understand the horrors of the war, I will narrate the story from the perspective of my grandfather with a few personal opinions injected in between my grandfather 's thoughts.

This article discusses President Lyndon B. Johnson’s involvement with Vietnam and civil rights. Vietnam and Civil Rights Movement protests coincided. African Americans were discriminated against at home and in the United States armed forces. In previous history blacks fought segregated in war. During Vietnam blacks were intergraded with a small number of segregated troops. Blacks fought for democracy believing they would return home with equal rights. Blacks felt they had earned the right to be equal. After returning home from Vietnam, blacks remained discriminated against. The war heightened awareness of discrimination. Martin Luther King Jr., with blacks and whites, marched to Washington to protest for equal rights. Kings speech was one of the most powerful protests in history. His speech for freedom was televised across America. King was assassinated and white soldiers applauded his death. The military began posting confederate flags on equipment. Racism was tolerated in military bases. Legislation passed the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

Lor (2010) examined the impact of minority teachers, especially Hmong teachers, have on student achievement. Lor (2010) provided a background of Hmong teachers, as well as, a history of the Hmong culture dated back during the Vietnam war. Lor’s (2010) research methods consist of interview questions pertaining to participants’ life experiences, school experiences, college years, teaching practices and philosophies. In conclusion, participants’ teaching practices comprise of inspiring students’ learning and achievement beyond the classroom.

Education plays an important role with each country, especially with the economic development, which is the same in Vietnam. After two wars of aggression, the Vietnamese economy was affected seriously so the Provisional Government of Vietnam identified that at this time, the development of education is the first priority. In a country, if the rate of educated person is high, it means the indicators of economic development will also go up. The high quality workforce who is better skilled and trained in an accurate education will be a motivation for future growth. According the statistic data of