The U.S. city with the largest Vietnamese population outside Vietnam is San Jose, California. It has more Vietnamese residents than any other single city beyond Vietnam’s borders.
San Jose’s Vietnamese community grew rapidly after the Fall of Saigon in 1975, when refugees and later family members settled across California. The community is especially visible in East San Jose, where Story Road anchors the Little Saigon neighborhood. Grand Century Mall and Vietnam Town are prominent Vietnamese-American commercial centers there.
A frequent source of confusion is the difference between a city and a metropolitan region. Orange County, together with neighboring Southern California counties, contains the largest Vietnamese population outside Vietnam as a broader regional community. San Jose is the leading answer when the question asks for one city rather than a county, urban area, or multi-city region.
The city’s Vietnamese presence shapes local restaurants, markets, media, religious institutions, and annual Tết celebrations. Pho restaurants and bánh mì shops are particularly associated with the district, making San Jose an important center of Vietnamese-American food culture as well as population.