For many Vietnamese Americans living in Michigan, their journey to the United States began 50 years ago after the Fall of Saigon signaled the end of the Vietnam War.
“We came in the winter with flip flops, no coats,” Jacqueline Dinh recalled. “I was only 5 years old at the time.” After the war, Dinh’s family landed in Thailand and then moved to Lansing after being sponsored by a family at a local church there.
For Jacqueline’s husband, Hoa Dinh, a retired Ford engineer and the president of the Vietnamese American Association of Michigan, his journey began a few years later, in 1982. His father, who worked with the U.S. military during the war, was evacuated and settled in the Detroit area in 1975, unbeknownst to Hoa and his family.
The story is part of Detroit PBS’ Destination Detroit initiative, which explores Southeast Michigan’s rich history and the people who shaped it. One Detroit’s Bill Kubota talks with Hoa and Jacqueline about their family’s histories and the impact of the Fall of Saigon on Vietnamese immigrants coming to America. Approximately 24,000 Vietnamese Americans are living in Michigan, about 10% of the national population, according to the Vietnamese American Association of Michigan.
One Detroit’s Bill Kubota also talked with Hang Phonrath, the owner of Kim Nhung Superfood, a family-owned Vietnamese grocery store which recently celebrated its grand opening in Madison Heights. Phonrath’s family took over the original Kim Nhung grocery store in 2007.
“Our old space was so small. Our dream was always one day we’re gonna go big … We’re gonna give the city (and) the state something that they needed,” Phonrath said.
The Vietnamese American Association of Michigan will host a commemorative event for the Fall of Saigon at the Hazel Park Community Center on May 18. The event will honor South Vietnamese and U.S. soldiers who fought during the Vietnam War. It will include performances and personal stories that commemorate Vietnamese Americans’ journey then and today.
One Detroit will be on-site to gather interviews about the Vietnamese American experience. The public is invited to attend and share their family’s story.