Lunar New Year: Four Vietnamese tell their stories of coming to Fort Smith
Street signs in north Fort Smith signify what the city’s Vietnamese community has known for decades.
O Street is the main thoroughfare in a north Fort Smith working-class neighborhood of southeast Asian, Hispanic, Black and white residents. But it has some of the most prominent Vietnamese-owned businesses in Fort Smith, including those on the east end of the street that host events, gatherings and reunions for the Vietnamese community.
Now donning Saigon Street signs, O Street honors the history and contributions of Vietnamese who came to Fort Smith after the Vietnam War. The signs were erected in partnership between the Vietnamese community and the city marking the 45th anniversary of the fall of the former South Vietnamese capital.