Day 274: Asian Garden Mall, Westminster, California
📌APIA Every Day (274) - The Asian Garden Mall, also referred to as Phước Lộc Thọ, opened in 1987 as the first Vietnamese American mall in Westminster, California. This development emerged as Vietnamese refugees began settling in Orange County during the 1970s and ‘80s following the end of the Vietnam War and the Fall of Saigon in 1975. The Garden Grove area of Westminster, where the mall was built, is now known as Little Saigon and has become one of the largest Vietnamese American communities in the U.S.
As part of a joint effort with the local government to boost tourism in the area, real estate developer Frank Jao funded the Asian Garden Mall project in 1986. Upon completion, the two-story shopping center spanned 150,000 square feet of retail and dining space. Its Vietnamese name corresponds to the three deity statues placed at the entrance of the building: phước, lộc, and thọ—representing fortune, prosperity, and longevity respectively. As per the government’s hopes, the mall’s opening year was a success, drawing between 20,000 and 50,000 shoppers from the local area each weekend. Since then, the mall has evolved into a cultural hub housing over 200 different minority-owned businesses.
In 2000, George W. Bush's visit as a presidential candidate helped establish the mall as a nationally recognized symbol of the Vietnamese American community. Today, Phước Lộc Thọ is widely considered to be the heart of Little Saigon. In 2017, a public art piece titled “Of Two Lineages,” designed by artist James Dinh, was unveiled in front of the mall commemorating 40 years of Vietnamese American history in Orange County and the cultural success of Little Saigon.
Despite these community acknowledgements, Little Saigon faces ongoing challenges due to gentrification, redevelopment pressures, and economic shifts. Business owners in the mall have expressed concern over the future of their stores as younger generations pursue careers elsewhere. Community organizations, like the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association and the Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation, are actively working to preserve the area’s oral histories and cultural traditions. Efforts are also underway to seek historic landmark designation for key sites, like the Asian Garden Mall, to protect these vital spaces that define Vietnamese American history.
Written by Avneet Dhaliwal
LEARN MORE:
Clio: Asian Garden Mall (Phước Lộc Thọ)
LA Times: ‘Of Two Lineages’ public artwork to be unveiled at Asian Garden Mall
Preserve Orange County: Little Saigon – A Cultural Heritage Site
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