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Profiles of Ethnic Communities in Canada

89-621-XWE

Volume 2006, no. 2

The Vietnamese Community in Canada

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The Vietnamese Community in Canada

A growing community

Canadians of Vietnamese ethnic origin1 make up one of the largest non-European ethnic origins in Canada. In 2001, the Vietnamese community was the 5th largest non-European ethnic group in Canada after Chinese, East Indian, Filipino, and Jamaican. That year, just over 150,000 people of Vietnamese origin lived in Canada, representing less than 1% of the total Canadian population.

Table 1. Selected ethnic groups in Canada other than English, French and Canadian, 2001. A new browser window will open.

Table 1. Selected ethnic groups in Canada other than English, French and Canadian, 2001

The Vietnamese community in Canada is growing faster than the overall population. Between 1996 and 2001, for example, the number of people who said they had Vietnamese origins rose by 11%, while the overall population grew by 4%.

The large majority of people of Vietnamese origin reported they only have Vietnamese origins. In 2001, 79% of all those who reported Vietnamese origin said they had only Vietnamese origins, while 21% reported they had other ethnic origins. In contrast, almost 40% of the overall Canadian population has multiple ethnic origins.

The majority are foreign-born

A substantial majority of the Vietnamese population living in Canada was born outside the country. In 2001, over 70% of Canadians of Vietnamese origin were born outside of Canada, compared to18% of the overall population. Among foreign-born Canadians of Vietnamese origin, 93% were born in Vietnam.

The majority of immigrants of Vietnamese origin arrived in Canada during the past twenty years. In 2001, 44% of ethnic Vietnamese immigrants had arrived between 1981 and 1990, while another 31% came to Canada between 1991 and 2001.

Most live in four provinces

Almost all Canadians of Vietnamese origin live in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia or Alberta. In fact, in 2001, 96% of all Canadians of Vietnamese origin lived in one of these four provinces. That year, Ontario was home to 45%, while another 19% lived in Quebec, 18% in British Columbia and 14% in Alberta.

In terms of actual numbers, there were about 67,000 people of Vietnamese origin living in Ontario in 2001, while there were just over 28,000 in Quebec, 27,000 in British Columbia and 21,000 in Alberta. That year, however, Canadians of Vietnamese origin accounted for less than 1% of the total number of residents of all provinces and territories.

Table 2. The Vietnamese population in Canada, by province and territory, 2001. A new browser window will open.

Table 2. The Vietnamese population in Canada, by province and territory, 2001

Most live in large metropolitan areas

The majority of Canadians of Vietnamese origin live in one of Canada 's largest metropolitan areas. In 2001, 69% of the Vietnamese community lived in one of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver or Calgary. Overall, 45,000 people of Vietnamese origin lived in Toronto, while 26,000 lived in Montreal, 23,000 in Vancouver and 12,000 resided in Calgary that year. Canadians of Vietnamese origin made up 1% of the total number of residents in each of Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, whereas in other Canadian cities, they represented less than 1% of the total population.

A young population

Canadians of Vietnamese origin are somewhat more likely than the overall population to be children or young adults their prime working years. At the same time, they are less likely to be either seniors or approaching retirement age. In 2001, children under the age of 15 represented 25% of the Vietnamese community, versus 19% of the overall population. At the same time, 16% of people of Vietnamese origin, versus 13% of those in the overall population, were aged 15 to 24. Similarly, 38% of the Vietnamese community was aged 25 to 44, compared with 31% of the total Canadian population. In contrast, seniors made up 5% of the Vietnamese community, compared to 12% of all Canadians, while 16% of the Vietnamese community, versus 24% of the overall population, were aged 45 to 64.

Table 3. Age distribution of the Vietnamese community and overall Canadian population, 2001. A new browser window will open.

Table 3. Age distribution of the Vietnamese community and overall Canadian population, 2001

Slightly more women than men

As with the overall population, there are slightly more women with Vietnamese origins than men. In 2001, 50.6% of the Vietnamese community, compared with 50.9% of the overall population, were female. Like their counterparts in the overall population, women over the age of 65 make up a substantial majority of seniors of Vietnamese origin. In 2001, 59% of people aged 65 and over of Vietnamese origin were women. In the over­all population, women made up 56% of seniors.

Close to half are Buddhist

Almost half of Canadians of Vietnamese origin report that they are Buddhists. In 2001, 48% of people with Vietnamese origin said they were Buddhist, while 22% said they were Catholic and 5% said they belonged to either a mainline Protestant denomination or another Christian group. At the same time, a relatively large proportion of people of Vietnamese origin, 24%, said they had no religious affiliation, compared with 17% of the overall population.

Most can converse in an official language

The large majority of Canadians of Vietnamese origin can converse in one of Canada 's official languages.2 In 2001, 88% of Canadians of Vietnamese origin could carry on a conversation in at least one official language, while 12% could not speak English or French. Most, 68%, could converse in English only and another 6% could carry on a conversation in French only, while 14% could converse in both English and French.

While most Canadians of Vietnamese origin can speak at least one official language, the large majority have a mother tongue3 other than English or French. In 2001, 81% of people who reported Vietnamese origin said that their mother tongue was a non-official language, while 4% reported that their mother tongue was English and 5% reported that it was French. Vietnamese was reported as the mother tongue of 75% of the Vietnamese community, while 8% said their mother tongue was a Chinese dialect.

The majority of Canadians of Vietnamese origin also speak a language other than English or French at home. In 2001, 67% said that they spoke only a non-official language in their home, while 6% said they spoke a non-official language in combination with English or French.

As well, over one in 10 Canadians of Vietnamese origin who are employed speak a language other than English or French on the job. In 2001, 8% of Canadians of Vietnamese origin with jobs spoke a non-official language most often at work, while another 3% regularly used a non-official language in combination with English or French. At the same time, 76% spoke only English at work, while another 13% spoke either French only or both English and French.

Family status

Canadians of Vietnamese origin are about as likely as other Canadians to be married. In 2001, 48% of people aged 15 and over in the Vietnamese community were married, compared with 50% of the overall adult Canadian population. In contrast, adults of Vietnamese origin are less likely than other Canadian adults to live in a common-law relationship. In 2001, just 5% were living common-law, compared with 10% of all Canadian adults.

Table 4. Family status of the Vietnamese community and overall population aged 15 and over, by sex, 2001. A new browser window will open.

Table 4. Family status of the Vietnamese community and overall population aged 15 and over, by sex, 2001

Canadians of Vietnamese origin are slightly more likely than other Canadians to be lone parents. In 2001, 8% of adults of Vietnamese origin were lone parents, compared to 6% of adults in the overall population. In both the Vietnamese and overall populations, the large majority of lone parents are women. In the Vietnamese community, women represented 82% of all lone parents in 2001 while the figure in the overall population was 81%.

Few live alone

Canadian adults of Vietnamese origin are less likely than other adults to live alone. In 2001, just 4% of the Vietnamese community aged 15 and over lived alone, compared to 13% of all adult Canadians. Seniors of Vietnamese origin are especially unlikely to live alone. In 2001, only 8% of people of Vietnamese origin aged 65 and over lived alone, compared with 29% of all seniors. In contrast, seniors of Vietnamese origin are more likely than other seniors to live with members of their extended family. That year, 21% lived with relatives, such as the family of a son or daughter, while 5% of all Canadian seniors lived with relatives.

Educational attainment

Canadian adults of Vietnamese origin are about as likely as the rest of the adult population to have a university degree. In 2001, 13% of Canadians of Vietnamese origin aged 15 and over had either a bachelor's or post-graduate degree, while the figure was 15% of the overall adult population. At the same time, though, nearly half of the Vietnamese community has not completed high school. In 2001, 45% of adults of Vietnamese origin did not have a high school certificate, compared with 31% of all Canadian adults.

Table 5. Educational attainment of the Vietnamese community and overall Canadian population aged 15 and over, by sex, 2001. A new browser window will open.

Table 5. Educational attainment of the Vietnamese community and overall Canadian population aged 15 and over, by sex, 2001

As in the overall population, men of Vietnamese origin have somewhat more education than their female counterparts. For example, 15% of men of Vietnamese origin had a university degree in 2001, compared to 11% of women. At the same time, over half (49%) of women of Vietnamese orgin had not completed high school, compared with 41% of men.

As well, a relatively large proportion of graduates of Vietnamese origin have training in highly technical fields. In 2001, 20% of university and college graduates of Vietnamese origin had qualifications in either mathematics, physics or computer science or engineering or applied science, compared with 8% of their counterparts in the overall population.

Young people of Vietnamese origin are somewhat more likely than other young Canadians to be attending school. In 2001, 63% of the Vietnamese community aged 15 to 24 were enrolled in a full-time educational program, compared to 57% of all Canadians in this age group. Among young people of Vietnamese origin, men and women were equally likely to attend school full-time. This contrasts with the overall population, in which young women aged 15 to 24 were more likely than young men to be in school in 2001.

Employment trends

Almost two out of three Canadians of Vietnamese origin aged 15 and over are employed. In 2001, 62% of adults of Vietnamese origin were employed, the same figure as for all Canadian adults.

Table 6. Percentage of the population employed, by age group and sex, 2001. A new browser window will open.

Table 6. Percentage of the population employed, by age group and sex, 2001

As with the overall Canadian population, Vietnamese men are more likely than their female counterparts to be employed outside the home. In 2001, 69% of men of Vietnamese origin aged 15 and over were part of the paid workforce, compared with 56% of adult women of Vietnamese origin.

One in four works in manufacturing

A relatively large share of workers of Vietnamese origin is employed in manufacturing jobs.  In 2001, 25% of all employees of Vietnamese origin were employed in manufacturing versus 8% of the total Canadian work force.  At the same time, 11% of employed Canadians of Vietnamese origin compared with 6% of all workers, were employed in scientific and technical occupations.  On the other hand, only 6% of the Vietnamese work force held management positions, compared with 10% of all Canadian workers.

Almost one in 10 employed Canadians of Vietnamese origin is self-employed. In 2001, 9% of all employed Canadians of Vietnamese origin is self-employed, compared with 12% of the total Canadian workforce.

Unemployent levels

About one in 10 labour force participants4 of Vietnamese origin was unemployed. In 2001, 9.3% of Vietnamese labour force participants were unemployed, compared with 7.4% of those in the overall population.

As in the overall population, young people of Vietnamese origin are more likely to be unemployed than older adults. This is especially true for young men. In 2001, 18% of male Vietnamese labour force participants aged 15 to 24 were unemployed, compared with 14% of all young Canadian men in this same category. At the same time, 13% of young female Vietnamese labour force participants were unemployed, about the same proportion as their counterparts in the general population.

Incomes

In 2000,5 the average income from all sources for Canadians of Vietnamese origin aged 15 and over was just over $23,000, compared to almost $30,000 for all Canadian adults.

Table 7. Average incomes of the Vietnamese community and overall Canadian populations, by age group and sex, 2000. A new browser window will open.

Table 7. Average incomes of the Vietnamese community and overall Canadian population, by age group and sex, 2000

As in the overall population, women of Vietnamese origin have lower incomes than their male counterparts. In 2000, the average income for women of Vietnamese origin aged 15 and over was just under $19,000, almost $10,000 less than the average income for men of Vietnamese origin. However, the income gap between women and men of Vietnamese origin is smaller than that in the overall population. In 2000, the average income of women of Vietnamese origin was just 67% that of their male counterparts, while the figure for all Canadian women and men was 62%.

Canadian seniors of Vietnamese origin have relatively low incomes. In 2000, the average income from all sources for Canadians of Vietnamese origin aged 65 and over was $16,000, $8,000 less than the income for all seniors. As with the overall senior population in Canada, women of Vietnamese origin aged 65 and over have lower incomes than their male counterparts. In 2000, the average income for senior women of Vietnamese origin was just under $14,000, compared with almost $19,000 for senior men of Vietnamese origin.

Canadian of Vietnamese origin receive most their income from earnings.6 In 2000, Canadians of Vietnamese origin aged 15 and over said that 85% of their income came from earnings, compared with 77% for all Canadians. At the same time, Canadian of Vietnamese origin receive about the same share of their total income from government transfer payments as other Canadians. In 2000, 12% of the income of Canadians of Vietnamese origin aged 15 and over came from government transfers, the same figure as for the rest of the population.

Incidence of low income

Nearly one in four Canadian of Vietnamese origin has an income that falls below Statistics Canada's low-income cut-offs. In 2000, 27% of people in the Vietnamese community in Canada lived in a household with an income below the low-income cut-offs, whereas the figure for the total Canadian population was just 16%.

At the same time, over one in three Canadian children of Vietnamese origin lives in low-income family. In 2000, 35% of children of Vietnamese origin under the age of 15 lived in families with incomes below the low-income cut-offs, compared with 19% of all children in Canada.

As well, nearly half of all Canadian adults of Vietnamese origin who are unattached have low incomes. In 2000, 49% of unattached people of Vietnamese origin aged 15 and over had low incomes, compared with 38% of their counterparts in the overall population. Seniors of Vietnamese origin who live alone are particularly likely to have low incomes. In 2000, 77% of unattached seniors of Vietnamese origin aged 65 and over had incomes below the low-income cut-offs, almost double the number for all seniors in the population as a whole.

Unattached female seniors of Vietnamese origin are the most likely to have low incomes. In 2000, 83% of unattached female seniors of Vietnamese origin had incomes below the low-income cut-offs, compared with 61% of unattached male seniors of Vietnamese origin. In the overall population, 43% of unattached female seniors had low incomes.

Most feel a sense of belonging to Canada

Canadians of Vietnamese origin feel a strong sense of belonging to Canada. In 2002, 65% of those who reported Vietnamese origin said they had a strong sense of belonging to Canada. At the same time, 43% said that they had a strong sense of belonging to their ethnic or cultural group.

Canadians of Vietnamese origin are also active in Canadian society. For example, 57% of those who were eligible to vote reported doing so in the 2000 federal election, while 51% said they voted in the last provincial election. In 2002, about 34% reported that they had participated in an organization such as a sports team or community association in the 12 months preceding the survey.

At the same time, one in three (33%) Canadians of Vietnamese origin reported that they had experienced discrimination or unfair treatment based on their ethnicity, race, religion, language or accent in the past five years, or since they arrived in Canada. A majority of those who had experienced discrimination said that they felt it was based on their race or skin colour, while a substantial proportion said that the discrimination took place at work or when applying for a job or promotion.

Summary table. A new browser window will open.

Summary table


Notes:

  1. All statistical information in this publication referring to Vietnamese, the Vietnamese community, Canadians of Vietnamese origin or people of Vietnamese origin denotes people who reported Vietnamese origins either alone or in combination with other ethnic origins in response to the question on ethnic origin in the 2001 Census or 2002 Ethnic Diversity Survey.

  2. English and French are recognized as Canada 's official languages in the Official Languages Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
  3. A mother tongue is the language that a person learns first in childhood and that they still understand.
  4. Adults (aged 15 and over) who are employed, or who are unemployed and looking for work.
  5. In the Census, people report their income for the previous year.
  6. Includes wages and salaries and net income from self-employment.

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