"COMMUNlTY", ADAPTATION, AND THE VIETNAMESE IN TORONTO Mark Edward Pfeifer A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate Department of Geography, University of Toronto O Copyright by Mark Edward Pfeifer 1999 National Library Bibliothhque nationale l*l of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Canada Canada Your file Volre ~UIOO Our ti& Nolre dlthence The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant a la National Library of Canada to Bibliotheque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, preter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette these sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format Bectronique . The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriete du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protege cette these. thesis nor substantial extracts £?om it Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or othenvise de celle-ci ne doivent &re imprimes reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. "Community", Adaptation, and the Vietnamese in Toronto Doctor of Philosophy, 1999 Mark Edward Pfeifer Department of Geography University of Toronto In the late 1970s, in the midst of the "Boat People" crisis, Canada began accepting large numbers of Vietnamese refugees. Vietnam continued as one of the Ieading sources of refugees and immigrants arriving in Canada up until the early 1990s. This study is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the adaptation of Vietnamese-origin individuals in the Toronto area. The research findings are organized into two main sections with the intention of focusing attention upon the intrinsic contributions of both the Vietnamese (as individuals and also as members of social collectivities) as well as the institutional actors of the host society within the process of adaptation as it has occurred in the spatial setting of the Toronto area. The first half of the study is concerned with the internal dynamics of the Toronto Vietnamese aggregate. The demography of the population, the internal social structure of the "community", residential trajectories, the relationship between residence and institutional participation, and the functional significance of ethnic institutions in the Iives of Vietnamese are topics of individual chapters. The latter half of the study is concerned with the relationships of the Vietnamese population with the institutions of the host society in Toronto. Chapters in this section address the insertion of the Vietnamese in the labour market, and the interactions between Vietnamese individuals and ethnic community organizations with the mainstream media and criminal justice representatives. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to the following individuals for their considerable assistance as I have completed my thesis as well as the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Geography at the University of Toronto: my supervisor Professor Gunter Gad, Professor Eric Fong, Professor Amrita Daniere, Professor Kim England, Professor Robert Lewis, and my external examiners Professor Daniel Hiebert and Professor David Hulchanski. I would also like to thank Carl Drouin for the many dedicated hours he spent working on the maps included in the thesis. I would also like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the following individuals for their help and support with this project: Karen Chau, Hien Chu, John Chu, Dr. Michael Dang, Rev. An Duong, Rev. Thich Tri Dung, Dan Ha, Rev. Mhh Ho, Peter Ho, Rev. Andrew Ku, Father Joseph Lam, Lien Le, Quynh Le, Rev. Paul Kiet Ma, Rev. Tan Ngo, Timothy Nguy, Rev. Anh Nguyen, Anne Marie Nguyen, Bao Nguyen, Ben Nguyen, Rev. Binh Nguyen, Cong Nguyen, Dat Nguyen, Duc Nguyen, Dung Nguyen, Dr. Duyet Nguyen, Dr. Khoi Ba Nguyen, Nghia Nguyen, Phu Nguyen, Sam Nguyen, Rev. Tan Nguyen, Than Nguyen, Rev. Toan Nguyen, Tom Pharn, Rev. Timothy Phan, Phan Van Phuoc, Nguyen Dinh Phuong, Jenny Quan, John Thai, Rev. Thich Chan Thuan, Viet Tien, Father Vincent Kim Toan, Cam Chau Tran, Ken Tran, Kim Tran, My Lan Tran, Peter Tran, Phuoc Tran, Thuy Tran, Irene Trinh, Tran Hoan Truong, Theresa Vu and Tong Vuong. TABLE OF CONTENTS PART X: INTRODUCTION, RESEARCH FRAMEWORK, AND CONTEXTUAL FACTORS SHAPING THE ADAPTATION OF THE VIETNAMESE TO LIFE IN TORONTO Chapter One - Introduction 2- 14 Chapter Two- Perspectives on Ethnic Group Adaptation: Research Issues and Questions Chapter Three - An Overview of Vietnamese History, Culture, And Social Structure 62-84 Chapter Four - Demography of the Toronto Vietnamese 85-1 13 PART Ik INTEXNAL DYNAMICS OF THE VIETNAMESE AGGREGATE IN THE TORONTO AREA Chapter Five - The Formal Structure of Community Organization Among the Toronto Vietnamese 115-145 Chapter Six - Vietnamese Residence and Institutional Location in Toronto 146-191 Chapter Seven - The Relationship Between Residence and Participation in Vietnamese Ethnic Institutions 192-223 Chapter Eight - Ethnic Institutions and Adaptation 224-247 PART m:RELATIONSHIPS OF THE VIETNAMESE WITH THE HOST SOCIETY IN THE TORONTO AREA Chapter Nine- Vietnamese Incorporation in the Mainstream Toronto Economy 249-283 Chapter Ten - Interactions of the Vietnamese with the Media and the Criminal Justice System in Toronto 284-320 PART lV: CONCLUSION Chapter Eleven - Summary and Conclusion Appendices References Cited LIST OF TABLES Chapter Four Table 4.1 Permanent Residents from Vietnam, Arriving in Toronto By Category of Entry, 1978-1993 90 Table 4.2 Vietnamese Ethnic Origin Population, Canada, Ontario, Major CMAs, 1991 and 1996 93 Table 4.3 Vietnamese Mother Tongue Population, Toronto CMA, Major Municipal Subdivisions, 1986, 1996 94 Table 4.4 Period of Arrival, Vietnamese and Other Visible Minority Groups, Toronto CMA, 1991 96 Table 4.5 Citizenship and Immigration Status, Vietnamese and Other Visible Minority Groups, Toronto CMA, 199 1 97 Table 4.6 Gender Distribution, Vietnamese and Other Visible Minority Groups, Toronto CMA, 1991 99 Table 4.7 Age Distribution of Males, Vietnamese and Other Visible Minority Groups, Toronto CMA, 199 1 100 Table 4.8 Age Distribution of Females, Vietnamese and Other Visible Minority Groups, Toronto CMA, 1991 101 Table 4.9 Knowledge of Official Languages, Vietnamese and Other Visible Minority Groups, Toronto CMA, 199 1 103 Table 4.10 Highest Level of Schooling Achieved, Vietnamese and Other Visible Minority Groups, Toronto CMA, 1991 105 Table 4.1 1 Birth Rate, Vietnamese and Other Visible Minority Groups, Toronto CMA, 199 1 107 Table 4.12 Religious Faith, Vietnamese and Other Visible Minority Groups, Toronto CMA, 1991 108 Chapter Five Table 5.1 Vietnamese Greater Toronto Interlink Services Consortium, Participating Agencies, 1997 142 vii Chapter Six Table 6.1 Forward Sorting Areas of Vietnamese Residence, Households With Nguyen and Tran Family Names, Toronto Metropolitan Area, 1981,1986, 1991,1996 157 Table 6.2 Vietnamese Mother Tongue Population, Toronto CMA Census Tracts, 1986, 1991, 1996 158 Table 6.3 Recent Immigrants from Vietnam (1 99 1- 1996) Toronto CMA Census Tracts 164 Table 6.4 Household Income, 20 Census Tracts with Largest Vietnamese Mother Tongue Populations, Toronto CMA, 1996 180 Table 6.5 Indexes of Dissimilarity, Major Ethnic Groups, Toronto CMA Census Tracts, 1996 182 Chapter Nine Table 9.1 Occupational Distribution, Males and Females, Vietnamese and Total Labour Force, Toronto CMA, 1991 Table 9.2 Labour Force and Employment by Industry, Males and Females, Vietnamese and Other Visible Minority Groups, Toronto CMA, 1991 257 Table 9.3 The Representation of the Total Vietnamese Labour Force in the Industrial Structure of the Toronto Metropolitan Area, 1991 Table 9.4 Index of Dissimilarity with the Total Labour Force, Employment by Industry, Males and Females, Vietnamese and Other Visible Minority Groups, Toronto CMA, 199 1 Table 9.5 Labour Force and Employment by Industry, Males Southeast Asians and Other Visible Minority Groups, Toronto CMA, 1991 Table 9.6 Labour Force and Employment by Industry, Females Southeast Asians and Other Visible Minority Groups, Toronto CMA, 1991 Table 9.7 Income, Males and Females, 15 Years and Over, Vietnamese and Other Visible Minority Groups, Toronto CMA, 1991 viii Table 9.8 Average and Median Income, Males and Females, Vietnamese and Other Visible Minority Groups, Toronto CMA, 199 1 267 Table 9.9 Composition of Total Income, Vietnamese and Other Visible Minority Groups, Toronto CMA, 1991 270 Table 9.10 Composition of Total Income, Males and Females, Southeast Asians and Other Visible Minority Groups, Toronto CMA, 1991 27 1 Table 9.1 1 Unemployment Rate, Males and Females, Vietnamese and Other Visible Minority Groups, Toronto CMA, 199 1 Table 9.12 Class of Worker, Males and Females, 15 Years and Over, Vietnamese and Other Visible Minority Groups, Toronto CMA, 1991 275 Appendix I Table 1 Gender Distribution, Vietnamese Ethnic Origin Population, Canada, Ontario, Major CMAs, 1991 345 Table 2 Age Distribution of Males, Vietnamese Ethnic Origin Population, Canada, Ontario, Major CMAs, 1991 346 Table 3 Age Distribution of Females, Vietnamese Ethnic Origin Population, Canada, Ontario, Major CMAs, 1991 347 Table 4 Number of Children Born to Ever-Married