Culture plays an important role in shaping the perceptions, beliefs, and experiences of refugees as they navigate decisions and actions in a new society. Based on an analysis of 88 oral history interviews conducted by the Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation (VAHF) with Vietnamese refugees in the US after the war, this paper examines the relationship between culture and social integration, particularly the cultural values that Vietnamese refugees have chosen and promoted to help them adapt quickly and successfully in the new society. Using a thematic analysis method, cultural values such as self-effort, a studious tradition, sacrifice, and intergenerational responsibility help Vietnamese refugees improve their socio-economic status after a period of settlement in the U.S. The stories specifically illustrate how Vietnamese people have applied cultural values to social integration strategies, establishing connections between culture and economic opportunities within the socio-economic conditions of the United States.

Vietnamese immigrants in the United States encounter a variety of acculturation issues that affect them as individuals, families, and as members of their communities. It is evidenced in the literature that low-socio status immigrants suffered from those acculturation challenges. However, there is scant research on how acculturation affects high-socio status immigrants in general and Vietnamese American immigrants in particular. To better understand how high-educated Vietnamese families coped with acculturation in the United States, this research used semi-structured interviews to examine the acculturation issues they encountered and the techniques they utilized to overcome those issues. Four well-educated participants were interviewed one-on-one for 20-30 minutes each by Google Meet in Vietnamese whenever they were available. The interviews were transcribed using unfocused transcription, and the data was analyzed using grounded theory technique. Results showed that high-educated Vietnamese immigrants in the United States face three major acculturation challenges: orientation, the necessity of better economic and self-esteem needs. However, women seemed to be under more acculturative stress owing to their lower levels of English proficiency and work satisfaction, according to the findings. In terms of coping methods, the husbands use integration acculturation tactics to deal with their issues. Separation methods were adopted by the women at various periods in their life, despite the fact that they are eager to become fully integrated members of American culture. They are unable to do so due to a lack of urgency and lack of access to cultural integration.