SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The Fall of Saigon five decades ago was a traumatic loss for people from Vietnam.
But it also became a new opportunity in a new country – sparking a rise in the next generation of Vietnamese Americans.
The Bay Area has a lot of talent.
There are a lot of Vietnamese Americans who have ties to the city including comedian Ali Wong who was born in Pacific Heights and graduated from University High School in San Francisco.
“I come from San Francisco and that’s where I started doing standup,” said Wong.
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Jeannie Cantu Mai Jenkins, better known as Jeannie Mai was born and raised in San Jose. She’s a stylist and fashion expert known for hosting the syndicated talk show “The Real” and the makeover show “How Do I Look?”
Amanda Nguyen became the first Vietnamese woman to fly to space.
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The civil rights activist and 2019 Nobel Peace Prize nominee attended school in the San Jose Unified School District and later went on to Harvard University.
Bay Area Chef Tu David Phu said he’s grateful for restaurant industry giant Charles Phan of the Slanted Door for paving the way for Vietnamese fine dining.
“I stand on his shoulders to get to where I am today,” said Phu.
Phu, an Oakland native, has a new cookbook out and has also competed on Top Chef.
MORE: Celebrated Bay Area Chef Rob Lam recounts American Dream 5 decades after leaving Vietnam
April 30 marks 50 years since the Fall of Saigon. For Bay Area Chef Rob Lam, his passion for food, love of family and Vietnamese heritage hold true.
The singer songwriter named Thuy, raised in the Bay Area, became the first Vietnamese American artist to perform solo at Coachella last year.
This year, seven Vietnamese artists lit up the stage.
Pulitzer Prize winning author and professor, Viet Thanh Nguyen immigrated to the U.S. as refugee. He grew up in San Jose. He’s known for his novel The Sympathizer-a New York Times best seller that is now a HBO series.
In Silicon Valley, many people may not know that the co-founder of social networking site LinkedIn is Vietnamese American, Eric Ly. He was born in Saigon and emigrated to the U.S. in 1975, and later graduating from Stanford.
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And, the current Sacramento County District Attorney is Thien Ho. He’s from the Bay Area.
“In the last seven years, our homeless population in Sacramento has exploded to over 250%,” said Ho.
Maria Su, the Superintendent of San Francisco Unified School District is originally from Vietnam. She has been tasked with rebuilding the school district.
Those are just a few names and faces of movers and shakers in the Vietnamese community. They are changemakers that have ties to the Bay Area.
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