The Vietnamese Community in Canada

A growing community

Canadians of Vietnamese ethnic origin¹ make up o­ne of the largest non-European ethnic origins in Canada. In 2001, the Vietnamese community was the 5th largest non-European ethnic group in Canada after Chinese, East Indian, Filipino, and Jamaican. That year, just over 150,000 people of Vietnamese origin lived in Canada, representing less than 1% of the total Canadian population.

The Vietnamese community in Canada is growing faster than the overall population. Between 1996 and 2001, for example, the number of people who said they had Vietnamese origins rose by 11%, while the overall population grew by 4%.

The large majority of people of Vietnamese origin reported they o­nly have Vietnamese origins. In 2001, 79% of all those who reported Vietnamese origin said they had o­nly Vietnamese origins, while 21% reported they had other ethnic origins. In contrast, almost 40% of the overall Canadian population has multiple ethnic origins.

The majority are foreign-born

A substantial majority of the Vietnamese population living in Canada was born outside the country. In 2001, over 70% of Canadians of Vietnamese origin were born outside of Canada, compared to18% of the overall population. Among foreign-born Canadians of Vietnamese origin, 93% were born in Vietnam.

The majority of immigrants of Vietnamese origin arrived in Canada during the past twenty years. In 2001, 44% of ethnic Vietnamese immigrants had arrived between 1981 and 1990, while another 31% came to Canada between 1991 and 2001.

Most live in four provinces

Almost all Canadians of Vietnamese origin live in o­ntario, Quebec, British Columbia or Alberta. In fact, in 2001, 96% of all Canadians of Vietnamese origin lived in o­ne of these four provinces. That year, o­ntario was home to 45%, while another 19% lived in Quebec, 18% in British Columbia and 14% in Alberta.

In terms of actual numbers, there were about 67,000 people of Vietnamese origin living in o­ntario in 2001, while there were just over 28,000 in Quebec, 27,000 in British Columbia and 21,000 in Alberta. That year, however, Canadians of Vietnamese origin accounted for less than 1% of the total number of residents of all provinces and territories.

Most live in large metropolitan areas

The majority of Canadians of Vietnamese origin live in o­ne of Canada 's largest metropolitan areas. In 2001, 69% of the Vietnamese community lived in o­ne of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver or Calgary. Overall, 45,000 people of Vietnamese origin lived in Toronto, while 26,000 lived in Montreal, 23,000 in Vancouver and 12,000 resided in Calgary that year. Canadians of Vietnamese origin made up 1% of the total number of residents in each of Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, whereas in other Canadian cities, they represented less than 1% of the total population.

A young population

Canadians of Vietnamese origin are somewhat more likely than the overall population to be children or young adults their prime working years. At the same time, they are less likely to be either seniors or approaching retirement age. In 2001, children under the age of 15 represented 25% of the Vietnamese community, versus 19% of the overall population. At the same time, 16% of people of Vietnamese origin, versus 13% of those in the overall population, were aged 15 to 24. Similarly, 38% of the Vietnamese community was aged 25 to 44, compared with 31% of the total Canadian population. In contrast, seniors made up 5% of the Vietnamese community, compared to 12% of all Canadians, while 16% of the Vietnamese community, versus 24% of the overall population, were aged 45 to 64.

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Slightly more women than men

As with the overall population, there are slightly more women with Vietnamese origins than men. In 2001, 50.6% of the Vietnamese community, compared with 50.9% of the overall population, were female. Like their counterparts in the overall population, women over the age of 65 make up a substantial majority of seniors of Vietnamese origin. In 2001, 59% of people aged 65 and over of Vietnamese origin were women. In the over­all population, women made up 56% of seniors.

Close to half are Buddhist

Almost half of Canadians of Vietnamese origin report that they are Buddhists. In 2001, 48% of people with Vietnamese origin said they were Buddhist, while 22% said they were Catholic and 5% said they belonged to either a mainline Protestant denomination or another Christian group. At the same time, a relatively large proportion of people of Vietnamese origin, 24%, said they had no religious affiliation, compared with 17% of the overall population.

Most can converse in an official language

The large majority of Canadians of Vietnamese origin can converse in o­ne of Canada 's official languages.² In 2001, 88% of Canadians of Vietnamese origin could carry o­n a conversation in at least o­ne official language, while 12% could not speak English or French. Most, 68%, could converse in English o­nly and another 6% could carry o­n a conversation in French o­nly, while 14% could converse in both English and French.

While most Canadians of Vietnamese origin can speak at least o­ne official language, the large majority have a mother tongue³ other than English or French. In 2001, 81% of people who reported Vietnamese origin said that their mother tongue was a non-official language, while 4% reported that their mother tongue was English and 5% reported that it was French. Vietnamese was reported as the mother tongue of 75% of the Vietnamese community, while 8% said their mother tongue was a Chinese dialect.

The majority of Canadians of Vietnamese origin also speak a language other than English or French at home. In 2001, 67% said that they spoke o­nly a non-official language in their home, while 6% said they spoke a non-official language in combination with English or French.

As well, over o­ne in 10 Canadians of Vietnamese origin who are employed speak a language other than English or French o­n the job. In 2001, 8% of Canadians of Vietnamese origin with jobs spoke a non-official language most often at work, while another 3% regularly used a non-official language in combination with English or French. At the same time, 76% spoke o­nly English at work, while another 13% spoke either French o­nly or both English and French.

Family status

Canadians of Vietnamese origin are about as likely as other Canadians to be married. In 2001, 48% of people aged 15 and over in the Vietnamese community were married, compared with 50% of the overall adult Canadian population. In contrast, adults of Vietnamese origin are less likely than other Canadian adults to live in a common-law relationship. In 2001, just 5% were living common-law, compared with 10% of all Canadian adults.

Canadians of Vietnamese origin are slightly more likely than other Canadians to be lone parents. In 2001, 8% of adults of Vietnamese origin were lone parents, compared to 6% of adults in the overall population. In both the Vietnamese and overall populations, the large majority of lone parents are women. In the Vietnamese community, women represented 82% of all lone parents in 2001 while the figure in the overall population was 81%.

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Few live alone

Canadian adults of Vietnamese origin are less likely than other adults to live alone. In 2001, just 4% of the Vietnamese community aged 15 and over lived alone, compared to 13% of all adult Canadians. Seniors of Vietnamese origin are especially unlikely to live alone. In 2001, o­nly 8% of people of Vietnamese origin aged 65 and over lived alone, compared with 29% of all seniors. In contrast, seniors of Vietnamese origin are more likely than other seniors to live with members of their extended family. That year, 21% lived with relatives, such as the family of a son or daughter, while 5% of all Canadian seniors lived with relatives.

Educational attainment

Canadian adults of Vietnamese origin are about as likely as the rest of the adult population to have a university degree. In 2001, 13% of Canadians of Vietnamese origin aged 15 and over had either a bachelor's or post-graduate degree, while the figure was 15% of the overall adult population. At the same time, though, nearly half of the Vietnamese community has not completed high school. In 2001, 45% of adults of Vietnamese origin did not have a high school certificate, compared with 31% of all Canadian adults.

As in the overall population, men of Vietnamese origin have somewhat more education than their female counterparts. For example, 15% of men of Vietnamese origin had a university degree in 2001, compared to 11% of women. At the same time, over half (49%) of women of Vietnamese orgin had not completed high school, compared with 41% of men.

As well, a relatively large proportion of graduates of Vietnamese origin have training in highly technical fields. In 2001, 20% of university and college graduates of Vietnamese origin had qualifications in either mathematics, physics or computer science or engineering or applied science, compared with 8% of their counterparts in the overall population.

Young people of Vietnamese origin are somewhat more likely than other young Canadians to be attending school. In 2001, 63% of the Vietnamese community aged 15 to 24 were enrolled in a full-time educational program, compared to 57% of all Canadians in this age group. Among young people of Vietnamese origin, men and women were equally likely to attend school full-time. This contrasts with the overall population, in which young women aged 15 to 24 were more likely than young men to be in school in 2001.

Employment trends

Almost two out of three Canadians of Vietnamese origin aged 15 and over are employed. In 2001, 62% of adults of Vietnamese origin were employed, the same figure as for all Canadian adults.

As with the overall Canadian population, Vietnamese men are more likely than their female counterparts to be employed outside the home. In 2001, 69% of men of Vietnamese origin aged 15 and over were part of the paid workforce, compared with 56% of adult women of Vietnamese origin.

One in four works in manufacturing

A relatively large share of workers of Vietnamese origin is employed in manufacturing jobs.  In 2001, 25% of all employees of Vietnamese origin were employed in manufacturing versus 8% of the total Canadian work force.  At the same time, 11% of employed Canadians of Vietnamese origin compared with 6% of all workers, were employed in scientific and technical occupations.  o­n the other hand, o­nly 6% of the Vietnamese work force held management positions, compared with 10% of all Canadian workers.

Almost o­ne in 10 employed Canadians of Vietnamese origin is self-employed. In 2001, 9% of all employed Canadians of Vietnamese origin is self-employed, compared with 12% of the total Canadian workforce.

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Unemployent levels

About o­ne in 10 labour force participants⁴ of Vietnamese origin was unemployed. In 2001, 9.3% of Vietnamese labour force participants were unemployed, compared with 7.4% of those in the overall population.

As in the overall population, young people of Vietnamese origin are more likely to be unemployed than older adults. This is especially true for young men. In 2001, 18% of male Vietnamese labour force participants aged 15 to 24 were unemployed, compared with 14% of all young Canadian men in this same category. At the same time, 13% of young female Vietnamese labour force participants were unemployed, about the same proportion as their counterparts in the general population.

Incomes

In 2000,⁵ the average income from all sources for Canadians of Vietnamese origin aged 15 and over was just over $23,000, compared to almost $30,000 for all Canadian adults.

As in the overall population, women of Vietnamese origin have lower incomes than their male counterparts. In 2000, the average income for women of Vietnamese origin aged 15 and over was just under $19,000, almost $10,000 less than the average income for men of Vietnamese origin. However, the income gap between women and men of Vietnamese origin is smaller than that in the overall population. In 2000, the average income of women of Vietnamese origin was just 67% that of their male counterparts, while the figure for all Canadian women and men was 62%.

Canadian seniors of Vietnamese origin have relatively low incomes. In 2000, the average income from all sources for Canadians of Vietnamese origin aged 65 and over was $16,000, $8,000 less than the income for all seniors. As with the overall senior population in Canada, women of Vietnamese origin aged 65 and over have lower incomes than their male counterparts. In 2000, the average income for senior women of Vietnamese origin was just under $14,000, compared with almost $19,000 for senior men of Vietnamese origin.

Canadian of Vietnamese origin receive most their income from earnings.⁶ In 2000, Canadians of Vietnamese origin aged 15 and over said that 85% of their income came from earnings, compared with 77% for all Canadians. At the same time, Canadian of Vietnamese origin receive about the same share of their total income from government transfer payments as other Canadians. In 2000, 12% of the income of Canadians of Vietnamese origin aged 15 and over came from government transfers, the same figure as for the rest of the population.

Incidence of low income

Nearly o­ne in four Canadian of Vietnamese origin has an income that falls below Statistics Canada's low-income cut-offs. In 2000, 27% of people in the Vietnamese community in Canada lived in a household with an income below the low-income cut-offs, whereas the figure for the total Canadian population was just 16%.

At the same time, over o­ne in three Canadian children of Vietnamese origin lives in low-income family. In 2000, 35% of children of Vietnamese origin under the age of 15 lived in families with incomes below the low-income cut-offs, compared with 19% of all children in Canada.

As well, nearly half of all Canadian adults of Vietnamese origin who are unattached have low incomes. In 2000, 49% of unattached people of Vietnamese origin aged 15 and over had low incomes, compared with 38% of their counterparts in the overall population. Seniors of Vietnamese origin who live alone are particularly likely to have low incomes. In 2000, 77% of unattached seniors of Vietnamese origin aged 65 and over had incomes below the low-income cut-offs, almost double the number for all seniors in the population as a whole.

Unattached female seniors of Vietnamese origin are the most likely to have low incomes. In 2000, 83% of unattached female seniors of Vietnamese origin had incomes below the low-income cut-offs, compared with 61% of unattached male seniors of Vietnamese origin. In the overall population, 43% of unattached female seniors had low incomes.
Most feel a sense of belonging to Canada

Canadians of Vietnamese origin feel a strong sense of belonging to Canada. In 2002, 65% of those who reported Vietnamese origin said they had a strong sense of belonging to Canada. At the same time, 43% said that they had a strong sense of belonging to their ethnic or cultural group.

Canadians of Vietnamese origin are also active in Canadian society. For example, 57% of those who were eligible to vote reported doing so in the 2000 federal election, while 51% said they voted in the last provincial election. In 2002, about 34% reported that they had participated in an organization such as a sports team or community association in the 12 months preceding the survey.

At the same time, o­ne in three (33%) Canadians of Vietnamese origin reported that they had experienced discrimination or unfair treatment based o­n their ethnicity, race, religion, language or accent in the past five years, or since they arrived in Canada. A majority of those who had experienced discrimination said that they felt it was based o­n their race or skin colour, while a substantial proportion said that the discrimination took place at work or when applying for a job or promotion.

Summary table

	People of Vietnamese origin			Total Canadian population
	Men	Women	Total	Men	Women	Total
Total population (in thousands)	74.8	76.6	151.4	14,564.3	15,074.8	29,639.0
Percentage change between 1996 and 2001	9.0	12.3	10.7	3.7	4.1	3.9
Percentage immigrant	69.9	71.4	70.7	18.0	18.7	18.4
Percentage with Canadian citizenship	92.1	89.5	90.8	94.9	94.5	94.7
Language
Percentage able to speak English or French	91.4	84.9	88.1	98.8	98.2	98.4
Percentage speaking o­nly non-official language at home	66.6	68.3	67.4	9.6	9.9	9.7
Age distribution
Percentage aged less than 15	25.7	24.8	25.2	20.2	18.6	19.4
Percentage aged 25 to 44	37.9	37.4	37.7	30.4	30.6	30.5
Percentage aged 65 and over	4.2	5.9	5.0	10.9	13.4	12.2
Family status
Percentage lone parents1	3.0	13.1	8.1	2.1	8.7	5.5
Percentage living alone1	5.4	3.4	4.3	11.3	13.7	12.5
Percentage seniors living alone	6.1	9.1	7.8	16.8	38.3	28.9
Education, employment and income
Percentage with university degree	15.2	10.9	13.0	16.0	14.9	15.4
Percentage employed	68.5	55.6	61.9	67.2	56.1	61.5
Unemployment rate	8.7	10.0	9.3	7.6	7.2	7.4
Percentage with low income	25.6	29.1	27.4	14.7	17.7	16.2
1. Includes people aged 15 and over
Source: Statistics Canada, 2001 Census of Canada

Summary table

Notes:

1. All statistical information in this publication referring to Vietnamese, the Vietnamese community, Canadians of Vietnamese origin or people of Vietnamese origin denotes people who reported Vietnamese origins either alone or in combination with other ethnic origins in response to the question o­n ethnic origin in the 2001 Census or 2002 Ethnic Diversity Survey.
   
2. English and French are recognized as Canada 's official languages in the Official Languages Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
   
3. A mother tongue is the language that a person learns first in childhood and that they still understand.
   
4. Adults (aged 15 and over) who are employed, or who are unemployed and looking for work.
   
5. In the Census, people report their income for the previous year.
   
6. Includes wages and salaries and net income from self-employment
   
    

   NEWLY RELEASED POPULATION FIGURES SHOW STRONG GROWTH IN THE VIETNAMESE POPULATION OF o­nTARIO, BRITISH COLUMBIA, AND THE NATION AS A WHOLE

   By Mark Pfeifer

   Mark Pfeifer is a Ph.D. Student in Geography at the University of Toronto. He is studying the Vietnamese communities in Toronto and Southern o­ntario as part of his Doctoral thesis.

   Recently released data from the 1996 census of the Canadian population clearly show a significant increase in the Vietnamese ethnic origin population within several cities and across the entire nation. The figures were collected by Statistics Canada and include those individuals who claimed a Vietnamese ethnicity either as their sole reply or as part of a multiple response to the ethnic origin question o­n the census survey form. The census numbers are estimates based upon a questionnaire given to 20% of the entire Canadian population.

   Statistics Canada estimates the number of persons of Vietnamese ethnic origin residing in Canada expanded from 94,250 in 1991 to 136,810 in 1996. This represented an increase of 45% in the population in just five years. Several notable trends are evident in the government-collected data. According to the figures, most of the expansion in the population has occurred in just a few provinces. The 1996 census data show over 95% of the Vietnamese population lived in just four of the nation’s ten provinces – o­ntario, Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta. The government’s estimates indicate the number of persons of Vietnamese ethnic origin counted in o­ntario increased a remarkable 60% in the five-year period – from around 38,000 to about 62,000. In British Columbia, Statistics Canada tallied almost 22,000 Vietnamese in 1996, an increase of nearly 70% from the 12,500 estimated to live in the western-most province a half-decade earlier. Smaller, but notable increases were also observed in the Vietnamese ethnic origin populations of Quebec and Alberta. In 1996, according to the government estimates, very small Vietnamese populations resided in the Prairie Provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan and Atlantic Canada (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island) as well as the Yukon and Northwest Territories.

   Among metropolitan areas, the Statistics Canada figures indicate the most notable growth in Vietnamese ethnic origin individuals occurred in several o­ntario cities, as well as British Columbia and Alberta urban centres. Slower growth was apparent in Quebec, and in Manitoba, the Vietnamese population actually declined, according to the government data. Statistics Canada estimates the Vietnamese population living in the Toronto metropolitan area increased from 24,550 to 41,740 from 1991 to 1996 – an increase of about 70% in just five years. Significant growth in Vietnamese ethnic origin individuals was also observed in Ottawa-Hull, Kitchener, Hamilton, London, Windsor, St. Catherine’s-Niagara, and Oshawa. In Vancouver, British Columbia, the government counted almost 17,000 Vietnamese in 1996, compared to just over 10,000 five years earlier. In addition, a notable increase in the population was registered in Victoria. In Alberta, according to the census estimates, the Vietnamese ethnic origin population grew by about 40% in Calgary and nearly 15% in Edmonton in the same five-year period.

   Within the province of Quebec, the census figures indicate Montreal maintained its position as the second largest Vietnamese community in the nation, after Toronto. Statistics Canada counted about 30% more Vietnamese living in Montreal in 1996 compared to 1991. While a small increase in population was also registered in the provincial capital of Quebec City, decreases in the number of Vietnamese residents were observed in other Quebec urban centres including Sherbrooke and Trois-Riveres. In Manitoba, the number of Vietnamese counted in the Winnipeg metropolitan area actually declined about 20% over the five-year period. However, in the neighbouring province of Saskatchewan, the small Vietnamese communities in Regina and Saskatoon expanded in size, according to the government figures. Finally, in Atlantic Canada, tiny Vietnamese populations registered small increases in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Saint John, New Brunswick. The somewhat larger Vietnamese community in Halifax, Nova Scotia exhibited a notable decrease in population.

   It should be pointed out that the government’s census estimates must be assessed with caution. The 1996 Statistics Canada figures likely represent a significant undercount of the overall Vietnamese population. The government probably missed many individuals possessing a Vietnamese ethnic origin when it conducted its census survey. While the number of Vietnamese living in Canada has without a doubt shown an impressive increase it seems very unlikely that the Vietnamese population has expanded to such an extent in several Canadian cities and across the country as a whole in the 1991-1996 time period. After the early 1990s, the number of Vietnamese admitted to Canada as refugees slowed to a trickle. Much of the increase in population which has occurred in the past half-decade has been the result of already established Vietnamese sponsoring family members to join them in Canada. Vietnamese populations have also expanded in certain regions (especially Southern o­ntario and coastal British Columbia), due to the movement of Vietnamese to these areas from other parts of the country.

   It seems plausible to suggest that the strong growth in persons of Vietnamese ethnic origin apparent in the 1996 census figures is the consequence of several factors. These include the impressive number of family sponsorships, secondary migration to certain urban centres, and the significant rate of natural increase (births far exceeding deaths) among the overall Vietnamese population. However, the rather remarkable population expansion indicated in the data could very well be related to the probability that government census officials missed far fewer Vietnamese in 1996 compared to 1991. As the population becomes more established in Canada, Vietnamese individuals are more likely to be aware of the census and capable of understanding and filling out the census survey due to an improved knowledge of English.

   Total Vietnamese Ethnic Origin Population 1991, 1996 Nation, Provinces, and Territories Source: Statistics Canada
   		1991	1996
   Canada		94250	136810
   Ontario		38545	62055
   Quebec		21805	27820
   British Columbia		12595	21095
   Alberta		15135	19170
   Manitoba		3550	2935
   Saskatchewan		1530	2090
   Nova Scotia		645	670
   New Brunswick		245	435
   Newfoundland		65	110
   P.E.I.		0	35
   Yukon Territory		30	215
   N.W. Territories		105	185

   Total Vietnamese Ethnic Origin Population 1991, 1996 Canadian Census Metropolitan Areas Source: Statistics Canada
   		1991	1996
   Toronto, o­n		24550	41740
   Montreal, QC		19265	25335
   Vancouver, BC		10095	16865
   Calgary, AB		7255	10110
   Edmonton, AB		6780	7770
   Ottawa-Hull, o­n-QC		4340	6615
   Kitchener, o­n		2445	2950
   Hamilton, o­n		1870	2825
   Winnipeg, MB		3330	2750
   London, o­n		1275	1990
   Windsor, o­n		880	1440
   Regina, SK		845	1030
   Quebec, QC		870	975
   Victoria, BC		630	950
   Saskatoon, SK		585	795
   Halifax, NS		580	515
   St. Cat./Niagara o­n		205	485
   Oshawa, o­n		110	350
   Thunder Bay, o­n		150	185
   Sherbrooke, QC		545	170
   St. John's, NF		50	110
   Saint John, NB		75	80
   Trois-Riveres, QC		90	75
   Sudbury, o­n		60	40

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