The Importance of the Growing Asian American Market

Vietnamese-American community is educated and growing

Immigration has fueled the dramatic growth of the Asian American population. In 1998, it is estimated that 3,777,015 Asian Americans live in California, with 1,926,495 in 5 Southern California counties, and 344,300 in Orange County, alone. Also, in 1998, it is estimated that there are 1.2 million, and over 300,000 Vietnamese living in the U.S. and Southern California, respectively. (Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Washington, DC 20233)

Stable Family Households

Asian American children are more likely to be living with two parents than children in any other racial or ethnic group. In 1990, the percentage of children living with two parents was 83 percent for Asian Americans.

High Educational Achievement

In 1997, 42 percent of all Asian Americans ages 25 and older had a college or professional degree. About 43 percent of foreign-born Asians had at least an undergraduate college degree in 1997. Nearly 40 percent of U.S.-born Asians had a bachelor’s degree or higher in 1997. (Source: Commerce Department’s Census Bureau, June 29, 1998)

39% of Vietnamese-Americans have a bachelor's degree or higher while 62% attended some college.

Income

Asians had the highest median household income among the nation’s major race groups in 1997 at $45,249 (Source: Commerce Department’s Census Bureau). In 1996 the Vietnamese-American household earned $36,500. 19% of Vietnamese each earn more than $30,000. 38% live in owner-occupied dwellings. (Little Saigon Television, California)

This Year’s Highlights

To help usher in the majestic Year of the Dragon at the Tet 2000 Festival, we will reconstruct some physical features of a Vietnamese village, the basic sociopolitical unit in the hierachical organization of the traditional Vietnamese society. The village will include symbolic and cultural representations of the three regions of Vietnam, the North, the Central, and the South. Regional-specific arts, crafts, and gourmet food will be chief attractions. Performers and singers of tradional music will share their talents on a small, cozy stage while artists and scholars will be displaying their crafts and brush-writings in a garden nearby, along with exhibitions of bonsai and orchids.

In the history of Tet Festivals in the Vietnamese American community of Southern California, this is the first time an old-style Vietnamese village will be presented to the community at large. Therefore, the village will certainly deserve much attention from Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese attendees as well as the media during the two-day festival.

Conclusion

The Tet Festival offers the Vietnamese-American community an opportunity to share its beautiful cultural heritage with Southern California. It also offers companies the advantage of reaching a large potential Asian American market, especially the Vietnamese-American community, one of the fastest growing populations in America.

This year the Tet 2000 Festival features a Vietnamese village with cultural artifacts for the first time in the history of the festival, making it the best place to enjoy the holidays, to satisfy scholarly interests in the Vietnamese culture, and promising to hit a record high in number of patrons.

We invite you to join us as sponsors, supporters, and patrons of the Tet 2000 Festival - Year of the Dragon, and wish you a happy and prosperous New Year.