OC's Little Saigon is thriving 5 decades after the end of the Vietnam War

WESTMINSTER, Calif. (KABC) -- For the past 50 years, a vibrant community within Orange County has flourished.

"Little Saigon is now not so little anymore," said Tam Thành Nguyen, owner of Advanced Beauty College.

Little Saigon is made up of hundreds of businesses sprawled across the cities of Westminster, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, and Fountain Valley -- carving what is now the largest Vietnamese community outside of Vietnam.

Tam said, "I would love nothing more than to host those of you who have never been to Little Saigon into our beauty college, into our community."

Tam's parents founded the beauty school 13 years after fleeing their country in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War. His father, Minh Tam Nguyen, was a south Vietnamese commander who fought alongside American soldiers.

"Because Saigon was about to be overtaken and fall, we were a high-priority family to leave Vietnam," Tam said.

Tam's story isn't unique. Millions of families escaped Vietnam after the fall of Saigon in hopes of better lives.

Tu-Uyen Nguyen, associate professor of Asian American studies at Cal State Fullerton, said, "We basically left in the middle of the night. I was very young at that age, and so I thought we were just going to the beach."

Tu-Uyen came to the U.S. as a refugee at 7 years old. Her father would eventually open a dental practice in Little Saigon.

"They built such a wonderful life for us and gave us a future where we were able to get an education and go on to be able to have careers and professions of our own," Tu-Uyen said.

In addition, people like Chi Charlie Nguyen have blended their heritage and the lives they've built in Orange County. Chi arrived in America in 1980 at 14 years old, and today he serves as the mayor of Westminster.

"Thank God that I'm here today, and I'm glad I represent the city of Westminster, represent the Vietnamese community," Chi said.

They all believe Little Saigon fills the void of home and connects them to a world they were forced to leave behind.

Chi said, "I'm very proud of the Vietnamese community because I know that they work hard and they value the freedom here that they have."

"The words that come to my mind are resilience, sacrifice; the tremendous sacrifice my parents and their generation made," Tam added. "And then, of course, opportunity for a brighter future."

Also, Tu-Uyen said, "It's a thriving community today because of the immigrant refugee background and these basically pioneers that were able to come in and build up these community from the ground up."

Fifty years after the fall of Saigon, those who fought for freedom have not been forgotten, and those who call Orange County home hope Little Saigon continues to thrive.