the mindset of an IMMIGRANT 

By Alessia Vu

Living in California, United States is a 52-year old loving mother originally born in Vietnam and migrated here twenty-four years ago on August 3rd. Due to having kids to look after and being a housewife, she is unemployed (in college as of right now) as her husband works from 2pm to 11pm. While she is currently living life well in the U.S., sometimes being back in her home country was better. 

Now, the present worries her as this mother is Thanh Vu who holds an immigrant status in 2025 and how living as an immigrant impacted her life.

On the 3rd day of August, she decided to move to the U.S. and as well as happily live with her husband. According to her peers around her, she heard that living there was good. When she first arrived, it was unexpected.

Thanh: “The weather is different from Vietnam and also, the opportunities here’s very different.”

Moreover, she goes in detail specifically about the difference such as the behavior.

Thanh: “Vietnam is very busy, so very noisy and here, very quiet. Know what, even neighborhoods in Vietnam— we talk together every morning when we see each other. Also we can stop by the neighbor’s house so we can have the meeting but different in (the) US. When I see that, I want to stop, say hi with my neighbors so sometimes, people; they look like they’re nervous or something like that.”

However, being an immigrant taught her amazing benefits she would use in her life.

Thanh: “I have learned education or maybe, (it) give me good knowledge about my career, so also help my life get better.”

But, in 2025, the stakes are high to the extent there are insufficient chances for immigrants to grasp the opportunity to build a future, according to Thanh. 

Additionally, she says there are many violent problems like crimes and people have to live with that because not all criminals can’t be catched immediately. Life for immigrants is not easy, since Thanh is in college, she has to not only take care of her children but focus on her studies. It is actually her last year taking college, even so, work is heavily weighing on her shoulders. Still, she smoothly completes her duties therefore, deeming her experience moderate.

Even if it was not in California, she thinks many places in the U.S. are slowly increasingly becoming dangerous and the barriers to success have increased.

Thanh: “I saw a lot—many trouble(s) in California, especially in San Francisco: homeless. Not safety for the people to take a walk around, scared or something robbery around…I want to go to San Francisco so when I go there, I’m very scared, I don’t know my car is broke (damaged) or not or someone maybe have the gun around me so I’m scared to step out of the street.”

Despite thinking the next generation of immigrants will experience more trouble and complicated issues such as their safety, she hopes for people to help others and not to their personal interest in the future. She ensures that way will assist the U.S. to go forward.

On the other hand, Thanh’s perspective on the U.S. has changed over the years. For example, the recent president of the United States: Donald Trump. 

Thanh: “I think, Trump, when he be(came) president, we have a lot of trouble. It’s not about our country, it’s about the way he takes all around the world.”

Then, she realized that American culture affects her own cultural identity over time.

Thanh: “If I want to talk to someone, I’m very shy with that. I don’t know, when I talk to them, it’s good or bad for them. But in the US, you have (the) voice to talk to someone; even you have to respect your child, little kid. So when they talk to you, you have to be patient and respect them. In Vietnam, it’s different.”

Overall, when it comes to coming here, she suggests language is the most significant.

Thanh: “They need to know about the language in the US because that helps them a lot when they communicate with others… At least they have to take advantage to understand what the people around them, talking the language. So they can adapt and, easy for them to communicate.”

Challenges for immigrants could rise depending on certain situations and many might not be safe if these streets are not taken care of. Although, these circumstances have reached awareness and hopefully to many more as we can only hope for a good future.