Diversity, buy-in from younger generation spell success for North Texas’ Asian American enclaves

As the Asian American population in North Texas changes, communities are looking for ways to adjust. THE BIG STORY This article is part of Asian American Bustle, The Dallas Morning News’ community-based reporting program that examines the development, culture and future of different Asian American communities in North Texas.   [Two women hug each other during a Lunar New Year celebration at Asia Times Square. The woman to the lest if wearing red while the woman on the right is wearing pink. They are both looking at each other as they hug. ]( Michelle Tran, Vietnamese descendant, of Las Colinas, left, greets her friend June Loh, Chinese descendant, of Mansfield during a Luna New Year celebration at Asia Times Square, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, in Grand Prairie,. [Diversity, buy-in from younger generation spell success for North Texas’ Asian American enclaves]( As Nancy Tiên walks through her former neighborhood in Old East Dallas, an area once known to many as “Little Asia,” she recognizes many of the structures that help form her Asian American identity. The Bangkok City Restaurant her family would frequently dine at is still at the corner of Bryan and Peak streets. Tiên often drives by the duplex she lived in during the 1990s as a child. But she feels something is missing. Many of the [families and Asian-owned businesses are no longer there.]( Little Asia was built in the 1980s by thousands of refugees from Southeast Asia — namely Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam — according to the Dallas Asian American Historical Society. By 1995, her parents bought a house near Interstate 30 and Buckner Boulevard, and at least a dozen other Vietnamese families lived close, Tiên said. Although they no longer lived in Little Asia, the families went to the area for their day-to-day needs. That changed in the early 2000s, many people in the Southeast Asian American community started moving to suburbs such as Garland and Arlington. That part of Old East Dallas — near Bryan and Fitzhugh streets — lost its identity as an Asian American enclave. [READ MORE]( Related: - [Asian American Bustle: Why The Dallas Morning News came to your community]( - [5 ways North Texans are combatting anti-Asian hate in the wake of COVID-19]( - [For decades, a club that meets in Richardson has helped Asian Americans find their voice]( [The Dallas Morning News]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [X (formerly Twitter)]( [YouTube]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Account Login]( | [Help Center]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Service]( [Manage Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( ©2024 The Dallas Morning News • 1954 Commerce St. • Dallas, TX 75201