Cabramatta is a suburb that is situated in the south-west of Sydney, New South Wales. There is an increase in rates of both permanent and temporary immigration with different religions, and at the different geographical location, which has resulted in the people of a minority like the immigrants to reshape the already existing neighbors and urban landscape that host them (Birrell 1993 p. 26). This paper discusses the Vietnamese cultures in the Cabramatta city. It will also evaluate the challenges and the benefits if the ethnic residential concentration of the suburbs of Cabramatta.
Ethnic Environs within Sydney
Sydney is a very strong cosmopolitan that is emerging in the city of Australia, and even around the world. About four million people who are almost 58% of the total population, are mostly first or second generation immigrants (Birrell 1993 p.30). Some of the areas are known as ethnic precinct because there is a specific ethnicity of entrepreneurs who are well known to own most of the area's businesses or even due to the pattern of immigration settlements. Cabramatta is known as an emerging ethnic precinct because of the significant presence of the Vietnamese businessmen and immigrants who are already fully settled within the region.
As mentioned above Cabramatta is a suburb that is situated in the south-west of Sydney, New South Wales, and it is part of the city of Fairfield government area and has the largest Vietnamese community in Australia. The large population of the Vietnamese people made the town of Cabramatta to be known as Vietnamatta. The name was introduced in the 1980s by the Asian immigration critics (Hugo 1995). The Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2001 carried out a population census operation in which 6330 people out of the present 22,676 people that were within the Cabramatta region, listed their heritage as being Vietnamese. The number of people who responded that had both parents as both Australian both was 29 people of the whole population of the region. Additional to the Vietnamese another sizeable population that resides in Cabramatta were the Chinese. The number of people of the Chinese people that lived in the area according to the 2001 census were about 6157 and the people who were born from both of the parents that were within Australia were only 25 people.
The source of the high number of the Vietnamese population in Cabramatta was due to the refugees who came from the Vietnam War. There is a vibrant and a very strong ethnic precinct that exists in the western part of the Cabramatta, with about 830 institutions, business, and other religious facilities that have been established in the region (Hugo 2011 p. 12). The figure 1 shows some of the temples which is a religious facility and its existence is justified because of the large population of the Vietnamese people within the neighborhood thus making a central location therefore effective and strategic.
Figure 1
The census that was recorded shows that the Cabramatta city has a various ethnic background but the Vietnamese and the Chinese have the highest population (Boal 1976 p. 63). This high population can lead to both the positive and negative impacts and can affect the rest of the Cabramatta population and even the community as a whole.
The benefits of the ethnic residential concentration in the suburbs of Cabramatta
The high ethnic level of both the Vietnamese and the Chinese in the Cabramatta city has led to some benefits to the community. For instance, the high population of the Vietnamese has led to the resurrection of many shop fonts creating job opportunity for the residence of Cabramatta and the surrounding neighborhood.
The Vietnamese business people have most of their products bearing the word ‘Cabramatta’ that is decorated in the Vietnamese language. Most of their products and services are in different languages allowing the promotion of both their products and the community as a whole. The figure 2 below shows some of the community brochures in different languages, the high ethnic residential concentration has made the services of various business readily available for the whole community, and some of this products originate from Vietnam (Birrell, 1993 p. 32).
Figure 2
This products and services in various language have helped in decreasing the pricing of some of the products and even verify ethnicity and have increased the range of the existing products to the community in Cabramatta (Dunn 1993 p. 235).
The Cabramatta is a region with a rich ethnic background and culture. This has shown uniqueness in the community making most of them feel a sense of togetherness. A good example is seen in Figure 1, above as it shows a temple which is not easy in existence in another part of Sydney. It is a public cosmos and a monument of the cultural implication of the Vietnamese and Chinese culture. The high ethnic culture that exists has made most of the residents feel a sense of oneness. This fact can also lead to the region to hold various ethnic festivals that can relate to the Chinese and the Vietnamese. This allows the local authorities and communities to take part in a crucial role in the coordination and the promotion of the festivals, as they need to consult with the local ethnic group. Figure 3 above shows the uniting church in Australia “Cabramatta multicentre” which is an organization that can also take part in the festive that exist in the community creating harmony between the people.
Figure 3
Challenges of the ethnic residential concentration in the suburbs of Cabramatta
The high population that exists in Cabramatta has some adverse effects. Insecurity is the leading factor that exists, for instance, there were about fifteen murders that live in the region around 1988-89. Many of the natives fear to visit the city of Cabramatta as it is known as Sydney’s heroin hub. The area received a lot of scrutiny from the authorities.
Consequently, the city has a huge population and they are still receiving a lot of immigrants. This movement is unchecked and has little regulation, and this may cause a lot of problems in the future. Some of this problems may include pollution and even lack of enough resources to sustain the people of Cabramatta.
Bibliography
Birrell, B 1993, ‘Ethnic concentrations: the Vietnamese experience’, People and Place, vol. 1, no. 3, pp.26–32.
Boal, FW 1976, ‘Ethnic residential segregation’, in: DT Herbert and RJ Johnston (eds), Social areas in cities, volume 1: spatial processes and form, London, John Wiley, pp.41–79.
Dunn, KM 1993, ‘The Vietnamese concentration in Cabramatta: site of avoidance and deprivation, or island of adjustment and participation?’, Australian Geographical Studies, vol. 31, no. 2, pp.228–45.
Hugo, G 1995, Understanding where immigrants live, Bureau of Immigration, Multicultural and Population Research, Canberra. Available at: http://www.multiculturalaustralia.edu.au/doc/hugo_1.pdf.
Hugo, G 2011, ‘Changing spatial patterns of immigrant settlement’, in J Jupp " M Clyne (eds.), Multiculturalism and integration: A harmonious relationship, ANU E Press, Canberra, pp.1–40. Available at: http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p113381/pdf/ch012.pdf
