Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 30, 1995 TAG: 9505010061
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE HUDSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Linh Dinh came to America for two simple reasons: "Find freedom and find my future."
Back in Vietnam, many people think of Vietnamese who now live in the United States as living a life of wealth and ease.
That's not the way it's been for Vietnamese immigrants in America.
"We came here with nothing in our hand," he said. "So we had to work hard."
Not long after he came to Roanoke in 1987, he lost both his legs in an accident in a scrap metal yard. Refugee officials said the scrap company - which was fined by the state for violating safety laws - hired immigrants who were willing to work jobs that most Americans considered too dangerous.
Today, he gets around in a wheelchair and on artificial legs, and he has worked hard to become a top student in computer science. Despite the accident - and all the challenges of understanding a strange language and a strange land - he believes his life is better than what he left behind in Vietnam.
"To me, Roanoke is a very peaceful place," he said. "Very calm and quiet. And less violent."
He doesn't like to generalize about the Vietnamese in Roanoke: Everybody's story is different, and he's not comfortable speaking for the whole community.
But he will say that older immigrants have a tougher time adjusting. Younger Vietnamese picked up American customs and language fairly quickly. But older immigrants miss the strong sense of village and family they left behind. Now, with the language barrier, some have trouble talking to their next-door neighbors.
"In Vietnam, the old control the whole family," he said. "But in America, the young go out - independent - by themselves."
Linh Dinh, who turns 37 next month, has twin 5-year-old daughters. He is part of the in-between generation. "I cannot keep all my customs" from the old country. "A little of Vietnamese customs and a little bit of American culture" are "mixed together" in his life.
What types of Vietnamese traditions does he hang onto? "Some of our dignity," he said.
To help hang onto traditions and provide a social network, he helped start the Roanoke Vietnamese Association in 1992. He is the group's president.
In December, he earned an associate's degree in computer science from Virginia Western Community College. He was a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the national honor society for students at two-year colleges.
He hopes to continue his education, but "right now I am trying to find a job - I am a job hunter. I've already applied about six or seven places. I don't have an answer yet."
With education, he said, "I can do whatever I want to."
by CNB