Vietnamese in New Orleans

Large waves of Vietnamese arrived in New Orleans beginning around 1975 after the Fall of Saigon. and Catholic Charities brought them specifically to New Orleans. In later periods, Vietnamese settlements spread to other parts of the metropolitan New Orleans area including other sections of New Orleans East, Avondale, The New Orleans East section was flooded by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Sara Roahen, the author of Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table, wrote that the Vietnamese had been accustomed to hardship and therefore were not as devastated by the effects of the storm, and that of the groups in the flooded zones the Vietnamese had "rallied" the fastest. ==Organizations==

Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans (VAYLA-NO) is an area organization for youth. Vietnamese shrimpers who reside in Plaquemines Parish participate in an annual "Blessing of the Fleet" at the start of brown shrimp season in May. ==Media==

Radio WVDL-LP, 95.1 FM, is owned by the New Orleans Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association and offers variety based programming. It is located at 4646 Michoud Boulevard in New Orleans, Louisiana 70129. The film discusses Vietnamese-American life in New Orleans. ==Religion==

Many Vietnamese living in Versailles are Roman Catholics. Mary Queen of Vietnam, a Vietnamese Catholic church, is in the center of the community. ==Cuisine==

Thomas Beller of T+L Magazine stated that the use of baguettes and influences from France are the similarities between the cuisine of New Orleans and Vietnamese cuisine. In New Orleans banh mi are called "Vietnamese poboys". Other popular crops include mangoes, mint, taro, squash, and bananas. ==Recreation==

The Vietnamese New Year (Tet) is celebrated in New Orleans East. ==Notable residents==

• Joseph Cao (politician) • Hong Chau (actress) ==References==