This Low Fare Bus Service Is Connecting Vietnamese Americans Across Southern California
In the parking lot of ABC Supermarket in Westminster, the Xe Do Hoang bus picks up and drops off passengers traveling the 400 miles between Westminster and San Jose, California, connecting the Vietnamese diaspora. After experiencing displacement from war, Vietnamese Americans demonstrate their resilience in the face of the vastness of the California landscape with services like this bus, connecting the two largest Vietnamese communities in the U.S.
Nguyen Hoang Linh, the owner of Xe Do Hoang, arrived in the U.S. in 1990 and started exploring transportation service for his compatriots with a minivan shuttling seven people at a time between Orange County and the Bay Area. After 9/11, increased security at U.S. airports and ramped-up fears of flying increased demand for bus services, especially among elderly and non-English-speaking members of the community, as well as for students and non-Vietnamese people seeking low-cost transportation. The 57-passenger bus offers inexpensive fares as well as cargo services designed for the unique shipping needs of Viet folks, including graftings of tropical fruit trees and home-cooked meals. The signature Xe Do Hoang experience includes a banh mi sandwich, bottled water and an ongoing loop of "Paris by Night," "Asia" or "Van Son" music videos.
Explore some of the spaces in Orange County shaped by the Cold War. Click on the starred map points to read more in-depth stories.
Xe Do Hoang has expanded significantly in its two decades and now includes stops in San Diego and the San Gabriel Valley in Southern California as well as Arizona. This success came at a cost. In 2005, Linh was shot by hitmen outside his home. The shooters were suspected of being hired by Xe Do Hoang's competitors and likely connected to a series of other assaults on bus drivers. Linh survived the shooting and persevered in the business. After 2020, COVID-19 also disrupted the company's once-reliable schedule. After stay-at-home orders were lifted, low ridership has forced the company to reduce the frequency of their trips, but it remains a symbol of diasporic resilience, entrepreneurial problem-solving and community connection.
