Sydney’s little Saigon
Thanks to multiculturalism, we can now do a world tour inside Australia, with its enormous number of different communities.
First, some numbers to highlight our multiculturalism.
In 2021, 38.6 percent of the Greater Sydney population was born overseas, a significantly higher proportion than the rest of Australia (27.7 percent). The City of Sydney experienced an even higher rate at 48.6 percent. Major countries of birth for the overseas-born population in Sydney include China, India, England, and Vietnam.
Today, I made a visit to Cabramatta, a small town located 30 kilometres south-west of Sydney. Cabramatta is also known as Cabra or “little Saigon”. According to the 2021 census, there were 21,142 residents in Cabramatta, with about 70 percent born overseas.
The most common origins of Cabramatta residents were: Vietnam, comprising 37.6 percent, Cambodia – 8.0 percent, mainland China – 4.0 percent and Thailand – 2.1 percent.
The nickname of “little Saigon” for Cabramatta is appropriate. The Vietnamese community in Cabramatta is predominantly from South Vietnam. The large wave of migration to the area was driven by the Vietnam War, particularly after the fall of Saigon in 1975.
Many who arrived were refugees who worked for the South Vietnamese government or were part of the southern economy and had to flee after the North Vietnamese communist takeover.
Recall that the Vietnam War was basically a civil war between North and South Vietnam, which was won by the North. It is not surprising that immigrants from South Vietnam have little sympathy for the current Vietnamese government, which is based in Hanoi in the northern part of Vietnam.
Cabramatta seems like a wonderful migrant success story. But the young lady who served me for lunch (see photo), spoke appalling English, even though she has been in Australia since the age of two.
Indeed, 12.7 percent of people in Cabramatta speak only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Vietnamese 43.3 percent, Cantonese 9.8 percent, Khmer 7.2 percent, and Mandarin 4.9 percent.
Much greater efforts are necessary to improve the English language abilities of the people from Cabramatta, in order to facilitate their integration into Australian society and the economy. But the Vietnamese community in Cabramatta has come a long way.
A generation ago, people arriving by train in Cabramatta would exit the station and find a daunting social and political quagmire. They would find themselves in a bustling open-air heroin market where gangs had gunfights over turf.
Through a mix of aggressive policing, government intervention and the hard work of residents, Cabramatta has undergone a stark transformation into a lively area renowned as a destination for some of Sydney’s best Vietnamese food.
Arriving as I did today by train, I headed straight for “Freedom Plaza”, which forms the pedestrian mall between John Street and Arthur Street. The Pai Lau or gateway forms the main ornamental feature of Freedom Plaza and symbolises harmony and multiculturalism.
I arrived rather late and went to the first restaurant I saw, Pho Viet Restaurant. I had a delicious beef pho, which is a Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat – usually beef, and sometimes chicken.
I then went for a walk around Freedom Plaza. It has a friendly, lively atmosphere, and is well worth a visit by us old Anglos who are curious about the radical changes that Australia has undergone these past few decades.
Having spent last week in Vietnam, I can readily vouch for Cabramatta’s authenticity.
How did I finish the day? With a delicious salted ice coffee!