Remembering Arlington’s Little Saigon

It’s no secret that Arlington is an ethnic food lover’s paradise. From the Ethiopian bakeries along Columbia Pike to the halal meat grocers on Lee Highway, spin the globe and Arlington has it all. But when you visit Clarendon, you may not realize that you’re getting an extra historical and cultural experience. People know it today as a place to shop, dine, and enjoy live music, and it is indeed all those things in all the most fantastic of ways. But what visitors and even some locals might not realize is that when you stroll through Clarendon, you’re experiencing a rich piece of Arlington’s cultural history: the former Vietnamese enclave known as “Little Saigon”.

Little Saigon came to be in the 1970s, as Metro construction tore up Clarendon’s streets and chased “downtown” shoppers away to regional malls. Landlords lowered commercial rents, enabling Arlington’s growing Vietnamese immigrant population to open up traditional shops and restaurants. The businesses thrived for years creating a “home away from home” for thousands of Vietnam War refugees and their families.

In the 1980s, increased development and higher rents prompted by the completed Metro station forced many of the businesses to head west to Falls Church, where today’s Eden Center represents the “new” Vietnamese enclave. Fortunately, however, some of Little Saigon’s treasures still remain in Clarendon. Many Little Saigon-era and present-day Vietnamese businesses are (or were) located in some of Arlington’s oldest and most historic buildings.

When facing the Underwood Building, tucked in behind you to your left is Dat Hung Jewelry, which has had a presence selling beautiful ornate pieces in Clarendon since the 1970s. Continuing down the street (at 3141 Wilson Boulevard) is the Rees Building, erected in 1929, which years ago housed the Saigon Market (one of the first Vietnamese stores to open in Clarendon) and until recently was the home of Viet Nam Fashions and Café Dalat. Take a right onto North Hudson Street and you’ll find yourself at Nam Viet Restaurant, which has blended generations of family recipes into a marvelous menu that The Washington Post Magazine says “reminds [you] how light and delicate, yet intriguing, Vietnamese cooking can be”.

Heading back to Wilson Boulevard, check out the 1925 Odd Fellows Building (3169 Wilson Boulevard), which in the 1970s housed Saigon Souvenir, a retailer specializing in traditional and hand-carved Vietnamese jewelry. Until this year, Queen Bee Restaurant served up some of the area’s best pho (a traditional Vietnamese beef-and-noodle soup) next door in the 1925 Rucker Building, named for George H. Rucker, one Arlington’s earliest developers (most notably of Cherrydale and Ashton Heights).

So next time you go to Clarendon, don’t just rush off to your final destination without spending some time taking advantage of all that it offers. Walk over and enjoy a delicious meal at one of the area’s authentic Vietnamese restaurants. Treat yourself or a loved one to a unique and lovely piece from Dat Hung Jewelry. Check out some of Arlington’s oldest and most historic buildings and the quaint and quirky shops that now call those buildings home. Experience a bit of Arlington’s past and enjoy the cultural treasures of Little Saigon.

Highlighted Retailers

Little Viet Garden
3012 Wilson Boulevard
(703) 522-9686

Minh’s Restaurant
2500 Wilson Boulevard
(703) 525-2828 • http://www.minhsrestaurant.com

Dat Hung Jewelry
3127 Wilson Boulevard
(703) 525-9789

Nam Viet Restaurant
1127 North Hudson Street
(703) 522-7110 • http://www.namviet1.com

Bring this coupon to these highlighted retailers for special dining discounts! Nam Viet: Enjoy a free spring roll or garden roll appetizer with dinner of $30 or more. Minh's Restaurant: Free Spring Roll With Dinner of $30 or More – No Takeout Orders Allowed. Expires 9/30/06. Restrictions may apply. One coupon per customer.

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