Little Saigon: A Sacramento cultural district rich in AAPI heritage

(FOX40.COM) — Sacramento’s Little Saigon neighborhood is named after the Vietnamese capital’s former name and is home to restaurants, shops and cultural events that commemorate Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage.

Frank Louie of the Stockton Boulevard Partnership took FOX40.com on a walking tour of the neighborhood in May 2024 to show what the community has to offer.

Louie said that the area tells the story of waves of immigrants who arrived starting in the 70s and 80s to begin new lives in southeast Sacramento.

“…They came to Stockton Blvd. to set up their businesses to be self-reliant, self-sufficient,” he explains.

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The owner of restaurant Pho Xe Lua, Tina Nguyen loves to explain the mint and sprouts that people love to pile into her family’s signature pho dish.

It’s a flavor of service Nguyen and her husband have been delivering for 17 years.

“As immigrants from a war-torn country, when you come here, you have to develop a community that allows you to have that same home, mother country, that feeling of home, and I think that we did a pretty good job,” she said.

Even though parts of Stockton Blvd. may be associated with crime and other societal ills, Nguyen says she believes, “You have to embrace the good with the bad. That just means I have to do a better job to work with community leaders.”

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“I believe in karma, and we just have to give back. We have been blessed with so much that we get to help others who are not as fortunate,” she continued.

A few blocks away, chimes ring when you push open the door at Pegasus Bakery.

Why Pegasus? Owner Jonathan Lam said, “Because Pegasus is a mythical creature. So, I believe you can dream it, you can make it.”

Why has he stayed on Stockton Blvd?

“I have a special bond and love of this neighborhood. Even though it’s not perfect. Nowhere is perfect, but we try together to make it better.”

The general manager of Pegasus Bakery, Michael Nishikawa, said, “We love the community and we want to also reinvest our hard-earned tax dollars into this area to see it grow.”

The fruit cake is one of the most popular things at Pegasus, precise slivers of cantaloupe and honeydew adorn the top of a lemon protein cake along with a macaron.

Steps away from Pegasus’ front door is Gio Cha Duc Huong Sandwiches.

Visitor Joyce Langreck said the bread was what made the eatery special. “The bread… for those who have traveled to Europe, especially to France… I used to work there a couple of times a year. Their bread is actually very comparable,” she said.

“They could give a couple of French patisserie shops a run for their money,” she continued.

If you want to start with authentic ingredients, nearby Vinh Phat Supermarket is the place.

“I pick just about everything (that is sold in the market),” said Su Ying Plaskett, the owner.

Forty years ago, she decided to open up shop on Stockton Blvd.

“I used to work with the newcomers, the refugees, help them settle in Sacramento,” she shared.

“I opened the market so everybody can be able to have a job instead of depending on government assistance,” Plaskett said.

This energetic entrepreneur, 76 years young, said she’s stared down worse than what Stockton Blvd. has to offer these days. It’s why they call her the ‘gangbuster.’

“Gangs wanted to charge me a protection fee, which I disagreed with. I work so hard, why should I pay (them) $100 per day?”

She said she intends to stay true to the goal of her neighborhood of Little Saigon and her store because it’s all in its name.

‘Vinh phat’ means forever growing, forever blooming. 

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