I'm writing my disseration on the Vietnamese communities and their shopping centers right now. I will be using Houston/Gulf Coast as one of my case sites.
In answer to why there are so many Vietnamese in Houston, this is a pretty helpful article:
Most of what you see is internal migration. Many Vietnamese refugees were fishermen in their former lives. Through word of mouth, they learned that the Gulf Coast would be an ideal place in terms of climate and livliehood. As they became more wealthy, they were able to move inland to Houston and set up shops that cater to the community's needs. They chose an area (Midtown) that was relatively low-rent. Now they are more clustered in the Bellaire area, due in part to gentrification.
After Hurricane Katrina, many of the evacuees came to Houston, as I'm sure you are all aware of (I live in Boston, so I didn't experience this phenomenon first hand). Many of them have settled in Houston, others have scattered throughout Texas, and not as many have tried to return to their homes. Therefore, you will likely see a huge jump in population since then.
As for accents, I am a second generation Korean American, born in Los Angeles, raised in Long Beach. I do not speak Korean. My accent has been described as 'very' so Cal. My cousin, who was born in New York but raised in New Jersey, has a very strong 'Jersey' accent. Her parents do not speak English. She is fluent in both Korean and English. So, I don't think it takes very long at all! Little children are pretty good at mimicking whatever they hear around them.
Question On Houston's Fast Growing Asian Population.
in International Houston
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I'm writing my disseration on the Vietnamese communities and their shopping centers right now. I will be using Houston/Gulf Coast as one of my case sites.
In answer to why there are so many Vietnamese in Houston, this is a pretty helpful article:
http://www.houstonculture.org/cultures/viet.html
Most of what you see is internal migration. Many Vietnamese refugees were fishermen in their former lives. Through word of mouth, they learned that the Gulf Coast would be an ideal place in terms of climate and livliehood. As they became more wealthy, they were able to move inland to Houston and set up shops that cater to the community's needs. They chose an area (Midtown) that was relatively low-rent. Now they are more clustered in the Bellaire area, due in part to gentrification.
After Hurricane Katrina, many of the evacuees came to Houston, as I'm sure you are all aware of (I live in Boston, so I didn't experience this phenomenon first hand). Many of them have settled in Houston, others have scattered throughout Texas, and not as many have tried to return to their homes. Therefore, you will likely see a huge jump in population since then.
As for accents, I am a second generation Korean American, born in Los Angeles, raised in Long Beach. I do not speak Korean. My accent has been described as 'very' so Cal. My cousin, who was born in New York but raised in New Jersey, has a very strong 'Jersey' accent. Her parents do not speak English. She is fluent in both Korean and English. So, I don't think it takes very long at all! Little children are pretty good at mimicking whatever they hear around them.