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.

In Kien Giang, along with religion, belief is an indispensable need in the spiritual life of a part of the people. The most prominent is the worship of Nguyen Trung Truc (NTT) - a bright star in the southern land - a national hero against the French in the second half of the 19th century. Every year, from 26-28 (lunar year), people from all over the world gather in Rach Gia - where the temple worships NTT - to light incense to show gratitude on the occasion of the NTT festival. Besides the great feats recorded in history books, the people have created many legends about this hero. In the series of legends about NTT, the magical element associated with the motifs of “miracle birth”, “marvelous feat”, “incarnation” appear many times. They play a particularly valuable role to contribute NTT as an immortal god in the hearts of Kien Giang people.

In 2014, Binh Duong has 2.885 the Khmer people, being the second largest ethnic minority compared to the Hoa people. They have contributed to the multi-ethnic culture of Binh Duong. Hundreds of works on the Khmer in the Mekong Delta considered their culture as a typical of Theravada Buddhist culture in Vietnam but this proposition is not suitable for the Khmer community in An Binh, Phu giao district who is this object of this study. By qualitative data sources from in-depth interviews, participant observations and approach to the historical particularism, this study documented the cultural characteristics of the Khmer in An Binh and analyzed the factors that make culture of the Khmer in An Binh different from the culture of the Khmer in the Mekong Delta. Natural conditions and socio-historical context make the cultural practices of the Khmer in An Binh more similar to the culture of the ethnic groups in the Central Highlands than the Khmer culture in the Mekong delta, especially, customs and folk beliefs.