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‘People are hurting’: San Jose’s largest Vietnamese mall hanging by a thread
Every day at 10 a.m., Nancy steps under the white arches of Grand Century Mall and pushes open the glass doors of her store, Lac’s Skincare & Cosmetics. Sometimes she’ll watch an Asian drama on her laptop. Other times, she’ll sit and people watch behind a countertop brimming with unopened skin care products. There’s the rare...
New Alum Rock district bilingual program helps students learn Vietnamese
Thu-Hong Tran ended a recent Zoom class by asking 14 kindergartners to count to 100 in celebration of 100 days of school. “In Vietnamese please,” she said. In East San Jose, Ben Painter Elementary is the first school in Alum Rock Union School District to launch a Vietnamese dual immersion program, allowing students to learn both English...
Election creates void on San Jose City Council for Vietnamese community
From the sensory delights of Little Saigon to colorful celebrations at Lion Square, the influence of the Vietnamese community is seeped in San Jose — except on the City Council. Following November’s election, San Jose — where more than 1 in 10 residents is Vietnamese — no longer has a councilmember representing the community, leaving...
South Bay Vietnamese Americans wrestle with COVID-19, lack of information
On a clear December day, the glowing sun hit a scant array of faces walking toward the Grand Century Mall in San Jose. In a plaza once teeming with visitors, particularly Vietnamese Americans, there were mostly shop owners and workers tending to business: distributing supplies, cleaning facilities and fulfilling to-go orders for loyal customers. San...
Vietnamese art and culture gain exposure with San Jose’s Chopsticks Alley
For Trami Cron, sharing Vietnamese art and culture is about more than creating community. It’s also about helping people focus on something positive. “We find that during these difficult times, there needs to be a light,” she said. “There needs to be some laughter and smiles.” As chief editor and founder of Chopsticks Alley Art,...
Vietnamese restaurants donate thousands of meals to Silicon Valley hospitals
Most days, Tiêủ-Vân Phan’s car carries the tantalizing scents of Vietnamese shaking beef or Hainanese chicken rice, lingering from her meal deliveries to hospitals across the county. Vietnamese-owned restaurants in Silicon Valley have mobilized together to donate thousands of meals to frontline workers over the last two months during the region’s shelter-in-place orders. Phan, a San...
San Jose: Fear lingers three years after Trump’s Vietnamese deportation order
Achieving the American Dream is the goal for many: Get a stable job, have a house in a nice neighborhood, raise a family and hopefully, the cycle continues. Phước Thắng, a 40-year-old San Jose native, is on his way to the dream. He’s a cable wirer, a husband and father of two daughters, ages 5...
San Jose: Census officials work to gain trust in Vietnamese community
Census officials are determined to count each and every member of San Jose’s substantial Vietnamese community, pulling out all the stops through local partnerships and widespread publicity. Yet, an extensive outreach plan may not fully reach a group that’s held on to a distrust of government and faced deportations. A priority in this year’s U.S....
Groundbreaking for Vietnamese service center in San Jose kicks off with a bang
The Vietnamese American Service Center in San Jose kicked off construction in a groundbreaking ceremony Saturday morning, marking a milestone in Vietnamese American history after the first wave of immigrants came to the U.S. nearly half a century ago. The 30,000 square-foot center, located on Senter Road, is slated to open its doors in late...