Vietnamese - more prevalent in feel in Houston or Orlando? (Dallas: hair salon, neighborhood)

[XodoX]

Originally Posted by xmod

I think what XodoX the immigrant is saying is if you want Vietnamese culture, go to Vietnam. If you want Chinese culture, go to China. If you want Mexican culture, go to Mexico.

You are in America thus so the only culture you are allowed to experience is blue-blooded white American culture.

God forbid a Chinese-American actually liking Chinese culture. Or a Mexican-American actually liking Mexican culture. They are not allowed to do that.

But since you (Tiger Beer) are white, I guess that means you get a pass..... you can experience whatever culture you want in America. Its just those non-whites that must only experience white American culture.

I think that is what XodoX the immigrant is trying to say.

I think we all got it now. Sorry, but to me this looks like a troll post. You didn't just miss his point, but mine as well.

[karuna95]

Originally Posted by jfre81

Where exactly in Midtown is this?

Oh yeah, Midtown traditionally has had a large Vietnamese presence but they are getting gentrified out, the poorer ones anyway. Houston has one of the largest concentration of Vietnamese/Vietnamese-Americans in the country.

There's another haircut place on Milam just south of McGowan. Bich Nga hair salon charges $7 haircut for men/boys, and $15 for women. After your haircut, you'll still have enough money for a bowl of pho noodles at Pho Saigon, a block down on Milam, or a Vietnamese sandwich at Givral. Yum!

[karuna95]

Originally Posted by LizzySWW

I hear Vietnamese spoken every time I'm in a big store in Houston. It's an easy language to recognize and I don't understand a single word of it! I feel (just my opinion) that Vietnamese is the largest Asian population in Houston.

(Off topic and not meant to be controversial, but why is this language so much LOUDER than other languages I hear around town? Is it the pitch they use in annunciating their words or something?)

I'm impressed that you can recognize Vietnamese language! I think the loudness depends on the person's place of origins. Northerners and most city folks tend to have lower voices, while those with rural/agrarian roots tend to talk louder, in my experience. Maybe they're used to communicate across wide open spaces?

I have a naturally low voice, but have noticed that I raise my voice when on phone. Maybe just a sign of the technically challenged, thinking that of course I have to yell for my voice to carry over telephone wires!

[Tiger Beer]

This thread changed directions rather nicely! I wish I could change the title!

So, for those who are Vietnamese...HOUSTON is pretty nice?

I've lived in Asia for years....mostly Korea and now Japan, but traveled extensively. Most cities with a high Asian population, it seems traditionally Chinese and Korean.

It is nice to see a U.S. city that seems to have VIETNAMESE as the seemingly dominant Asian group...is that the way that Vietnamese see it as well? Or no?

Just curious...

[eloon]

Seems mostly Korean around me, but that's probably a direct result of the H-Mart around the corner.

[HoustonPrince]

Originally Posted by karuna95

There's another haircut place on Milam just south of McGowan. Bich Nga hair salon charges $7 haircut for men/boys, and $15 for women. After your haircut, you'll still have enough money for a bowl of pho noodles at Pho Saigon, a block down on Milam, or a Vietnamese sandwich at Givral. Yum!

Ha! That's exactly what I do on Bellaire. I get the $7 haircut at King's Salon...and then walk over to Givral for their jammin' Vietnamese BBQ pork sandwich!

[karuna95]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

This thread changed directions rather nicely! I wish I could change the title!

So, for those who are Vietnamese...HOUSTON is pretty nice?

Yes, Houston is pretty nice

I love that there is such diversity of Asian groups in Houston, lots of really good ethnic restaurants (not like in Dallas), and everyone pretty much gets along with everyone else. There are specific professional groups, i.e. Chinese this, or Vietnamese that... but membership is always open to others not in the group.

There's a lot of Vietnamese in California too, but it's a totally different mindset over there. I get the impression that they party a lot more, and that as a whole are much more insular/isolated than here. Houston Vietnamese seem to be more business/family focused, and more integrated into mainstream community.

[LizzySWW]

Originally Posted by karuna95

I'm impressed that you can recognize Vietnamese language! I think the loudness depends on the person's place of origins. Northerners and most city folks tend to have lower voices, while those with rural/agrarian roots tend to talk louder, in my experience. Maybe they're used to communicate across wide open spaces?

I have a naturally low voice, but have noticed that I raise my voice when on phone. Maybe just a sign of the technically challenged, thinking that of course I have to yell for my voice to carry over telephone wires!

Thanks for explaining....I've always wondered about the volume & pitch of the language. Now I know!
I laughed at your "technically challenged" phone loudness! Too Funny!

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by karuna95

Yes, Houston is pretty nice

I love that there is such diversity of Asian groups in Houston, lots of really good ethnic restaurants (not like in Dallas), and everyone pretty much gets along with everyone else. There are specific professional groups, i.e. Chinese this, or Vietnamese that... but membership is always open to others not in the group.

There's a lot of Vietnamese in California too, but it's a totally different mindset over there. I get the impression that they party a lot more, and that as a whole are much more insular/isolated than here. Houston Vietnamese seem to be more business/family focused, and more integrated into mainstream community.

Having driven around to all of the many Vietnamese and Korean communities as well in the Los Angeles area...that was also the impression I got. I mean, they didn't seem to be all over place, but were highly concentrated in one place.

Then as a white guy going to a Vietnamese mall, I was one of only a few other non-Vietnamese in there....not that I minded, but I was equally surprised how few other people were there. I think its due to the car culture. Whereas if you go to CHinatown in SF or NYC, you see all kinds of people everywhere. But yeah, L.A. seems to have an isolating/insular thing occur there quite regularly it seems.

[crbcrbrgv]

Vietnamese is an extremely difficult language to learn. Conversely, it is difficult for the Vietnamese to learn English. I have taught more than my fair share of Vietnamese children that qualify for special education services despite the fact that they have average or above average IQ's due to the fact that they were having a hard time grasping English. It's a pretty strange situation.