Vietnamese Canadians
Vietnamese Canadians (Vietnamese: Người Canada gốc Việt; French: Canadiens vietnamiens) are Canadian citizens of Vietnamese ancestry. As of 2016, there are 240,615 Vietnamese Canadians, most of whom reside in the provinces of Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec.
Vietnamese Canadians singing during Lunar New Year at St. Joseph's Church, Vancouver | |
Total population | |
---|---|
240,615 (2016)[1] 0.70% of the Canadian population (2016) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Toronto, Hamilton, Southwestern Ontario, Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver | |
Languages | |
Vietnamese, Canadian English, Quebec French, Vietnamese French | |
Religion | |
Mahayana Buddhism and Catholicism[2] | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Vietnamese, Vietnamese Americans, Vietnamese people in France |
History
Mainstream Vietnamese communities began arriving in Canada in the mid-1970s and early 1980s as refugees or boat people following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, though a couple thousand were already living in Quebec before then, most of whom were students. After the fall of Saigon, there were two waves of Vietnamese immigrants to Canada. The first wave consisted mostly of middle-class immigrants. Many of these immigrants were able to speak French and or English and were welcomed into Canada for their professional skills. The second wave consisted of Southern Vietnamese refugees who were escaping the harsh regime that had taken over the former South Vietnam. These refugees were known as the "boat people". In the years 1979-80, Canada accepted 60,000 Vietnamese refugees.[3] Most new arrivees were sponsored by groups of individuals, temples, and churches and settled in areas around Southern Ontario, Vancouver, British Columbia, and Montreal, Quebec.
Between 1975 and 1985, 110,000 settled in Canada (23,000 in Ontario; 13,000 in Quebec; 8,000 in Alberta; 7,000 British Columbia; 5,000 in Manitoba; 3,000 in Saskatchewan; and 2,000 in the Maritime provinces). As time passed, most eventually settled in urban centres like Vancouver (2.2% Vietnamese), Calgary (1.6% Vietnamese), Montreal (1.6% Vietnamese), Edmonton (1.6% Vietnamese), Toronto (1.4% Vietnamese), Ottawa (1.0% Vietnamese), and Hamilton (0.8% Vietnamese).[4]
The next wave of Vietnamese migration came in the late 1980s and 1990s as both refugees and immigrant classes of post-war Vietnam entered Canada. These groups settled in urban areas, in particular Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and Calgary. Vietnamese immigrants settled mainly in the East Vancouver and in Montreal's downtown and south shore. In Toronto they have settled in the city's Chinatown area near Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street West or to the west in Mississauga.
Demographics
According to the 2011 National Household Survey, approximately 50% of Vietnamese Canadians identify as Buddhist, 25% identify as Christian, and the rest reported having no religious affiliation.[3][5]
Province | Vietnamese population |
---|---|
Ontario | 107,640 |
Quebec | 43,080 |
British Columbia | 41,435 |
Alberta | 36,780 |
Manitoba | 5,850 |
Saskatchewan | 3,690 |
Nova Scotia | 760 |
New Brunswick | 885 |
Northwest Territories | 245 |
Yukon | 85 |
Prince Edward Island | 85 |
Newfoundland and Labrador | 75 |
Nunavut | 10 |
Canada (2016) | 240,615 |
Canada (2011) | 220,420[5] |
City | Province | 2016 Vietnamese population | 2011 |
---|---|---|---|
Greater Toronto Area | Ontario | 73,740 | |
Greater Montreal | Quebec | 38,660 | |
Greater Vancouver | British Columbia | 34,915 | |
Calgary Region | Alberta | 21,010 | |
Edmonton Capital Region | Alberta | 14,180 | |
Ottawa-Gatineau | Ontario, Quebec | 9,650 | |
Winnipeg Capital Region | Manitoba | 5,580 | |
Waterloo Region | Ontario | 5,555 | |
Hamilton | Ontario | 4,855 | |
Windsor | Ontario | 2,555 | 2,160[6] |
Notable Canadians of Vietnamese origin
Athletes
- Kequyen Lam, cross country skiing
- Carol Huynh, freestyle wrestler, Olympic gold medallist
- Nam Nguyen, figure skater
Businesspeople and engineers
- Charles Chi, entrepreneur, chancellor of Carleton University
- Hieu C. Truong, engineer
- Minh Le, software engineer, created the popular first-person shooter Counter Strike
- Trần Triệu Quân, engineer, businessman, and president of the International Taekwon-Do Federation
Humanitarians
- Paul Nguyen, activist, journalist, and documentarian
- Phan Thị Kim Phúc, humanitarian, UNESCO ambassador, Vietnam War survivor
Entertainers and artists
- Andrew Phung, actor
- Caroline Vu, writer and doctor
- Chantal Thuy, actress (Black Lightning)
- Chế Linh, singer
- Christy Chung, Hong-Kong based actress
- Chuckie Akenz (aka Phong Nguyen), songwriter and rapper
- Dang Thai Son, pianist
- David Huynh, Los-Angeles based actor
- Dianne Doan, actress (Warrior)
- Kim Nguyen, film director and screenwriter
- Kim Thúy, writer, food critic, and lawyer
- Mayko Nguyen, actress
- Nguyen Ngoc Ngan, writer, essayist, and host of Paris By Night
- Siu Ta, actress (This is Wonderland)
- Tam Doan, singer
- Tommy Ton, photographer
Politicians
- Anne Minh-Thu Quach, MP for Beauharnois—Salaberry (NDP)
- Ève-Mary Thaï Thi Lac, former MP for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot (Bloc Québécois)
- Hoang Mai, MP for Brossard—La Prairie (NDP)
- Hung Pham, MLA for Calgary Montrose (1993–2008) (Progressive Conservative)
- Thanh Hai Ngo, first Canadian Senator of Vietnamese descent (Conservative)
- Wayne Cao, MLA for Calgary Fort (1997–2011) (Progressive Conservative)
Others
- Thien LE, fashion designer and founder of the Thien Le label
Business
In Canada, local Vietnamese media includes:
- Viet Nam Thoi Bao — Edmonton magazine[7]
- Thoi Bao — Toronto newspaper[8]
- Thoi Bao TV — Toronto[9]
- Thoi Moi — Toronto newspaper[10]
- Little Saigon Canada — Toronto newspaper
- Vietnamville — Montreal[11]
- Phố Việt Montreal, printed newspaper of Vietnamville.ca
- Viethomes Magazine — Toronto magazine[12][13]
- Culture Magazin — national magazine, first-ever bilingual English-Vietnamese magazine in Canada[14]
In Vancouver, a large population of Vietnamese Canadians are self-employed; they're business owners of a variety of businesses, stores and restaurants throughout the city. Vietnamese Canadians also brought their cuisine and phở has become a popular food throughout the city. Vietnamese Canadians also reside in Central City, Surrey, which is a rapidly growing suburb of Metro Vancouver.
In the Toronto area, there are 19 Vietnamese owned supermarkets.
In Montreal there are about 40,000 Vietnamese Canadian population among highest median income and education of Vietnamese Canadians in major cities. There are more than 100 Vietnamese restaurants, hundreds of small size manufacturers of different products from clothing to technology, about 80 pharmacies and hundreds of doctors, dentists, over a thousand scientists, engineers and technicians, about sixty convenient stores and groceries. Since November 2006, Ngo Van Tan has started a project to promote and build the first 'Vietnam Town' in Canada called 'Vietnamville' near metro Jean Talon including St-Denis, Jean Talon, St-Hubert, and Belanger streets with over 130 businesses already opened in the area. Investment opportunities in Vietnam Town are open to Vietnamese worldwide.
References
- "Census Profile, 2016 Census". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
- (Statistics Canada, Census 2001 - Selected Demographic and Cultural Characteristics (105), Selected Ethnic Groups (100), Age Groups (6), Sex (3) and Single and Multiple Ethnic Origin Responses (3) for Population, for Canada, Provinces, Territories and Census Metropolitan Areas 1 , 2001 Census - 20% Sample Data)
- Joy, Amanda. "Vietnamese Canadians". The Canadian Encyclopedia, March 5, 2018, Historica Canada. https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/vietnamese. Accessed November 17, 2020.
- Canada, Government of Canada, Statistics. "2011 National Household Survey Profile - Census subdivision". www12.statcan.gc.ca.
- Canada, Government of Canada, Statistics. "2011 National Household Survey Profile - Province/Territory". www12.statcan.gc.ca.
- Canada, Government of Canada, Statistics. "2011 National Household Survey Profile - Census metropolitan area/Census agglomeration". www12.statcan.gc.ca.
- "Viet Nam Thoi Bao".
- Thoi Bao
- "Thoi Bao TV".
- "Tuan bao Thoi Moi - Thoi Moi Canada - Tuần báo Thời Mới". Tuần báo Thời Mới.
- Vietnamville. "Vietnamville :: Trang chủ". vietnamville.ca.
- "Home - Viet Homes Magazine". Viet Homes Magazine.
- http://www.findglocal.com/CA/Mississauga/631025846946446/Viethomes-Magazine-Inc.
- "CultureMagazin.com - Vietnamese Asian English Magazine in Canada – Bridge East and West". culturemagazin.com.
External links
- Vietnamese Canadian organizations
- Vietnamese Canadian Federation (Non-profit organization)
- Fondation VinaVie Humanitaire (Non-profit organization)
- Vietnamese Canadian Community of Ottawa (Non-profit organization)
- Radio Tieng Noi Tre (Non-profit organization)
- Youths In Action Sports (Non-profit organization)
- UniAction - Promoting Vietnamese culture and history among other communities (Non-profit organization)
- About Vietnamese Canadians
- "A Moonless Night: Boat people, 40 years later (2016)". CinemaClock.
- History of Vietnamese Canadians (Source: the Canada's Digital Collections)
- Civilization.ca - Boat People No Longer: Vietnamese Canadians - Religion (the Canadian Museum of Civilization)
- Vietnamese (Discover Vancouver)
- Welcome to Canada (CBC Archives)
- Sponsoring refugees: Canadians reach out (CBC Archives)
- Multicultural Canada website Vietnamese Boat People collection including photographs, correspondence, books, magazines, oral histories, newsletters, personal items, and organizational records.