Vietnamese Amerasian Resettlement

About 75,000 Amerasians and their family members have left to resettle in the United States under the provisions of what is commonly called the "Amerasian Homecoming Act." These Amerasians have special ties to the United States because their fathers were Americans serving in Vietnam before 1976. These ties caused them to suffer hardships and discrimination in Vietnam. In an earlier report (GAO/PEMD-94-10R), GAO discussed the process under which eligible Amerasians and their families participate in the resettlement program in Vietnam, receive language instruction and cultural orientation in the Philippines, and are finally resettled in the United States. This report focuses on the outcomes for Amerasians and their families after resettlement has taken place, particularly with regard to education, employment, housing, and health care. GAO also examines factors that have helped or harmed the successful resettlement of Amerasians.

GAO found that: (1) most Amerasians came to the United States with poor English, education, job skills, and family support and experienced difficulty in trying to adjust to American life; (2) although Amerasians expected to improve their education, learn English, and acquire job skills upon resettlement, many received no training or very limited training because of their need to find jobs and support themselves or because of lack of family support; (3) Amerasians cited contacts, willingness to work for low pay, and being pleasant with others as positive factors in gaining employment, and poor English skills, lack of experience, lack of transportation, and the presence of children as negative factors in gaining employment; (4) although resettlement agencies provide housing to Amerasians for a limited period, they must pay their housing costs through refugee cash assistance or employment income; (5) while some families experienced difficulty in finding affordable housing, many families chose to live with other families or in poor neighborhoods to minimize expenses and often chose neighborhoods with high concentrations of Amerasians and Vietnamese; (6) after the initial resettlement process, Amerasians had difficulty obtaining health care because of their lack of information, English language skills, and transportation; and (7) most Amerasians reported being happy to be in the United States because they suffered less discrimination, had more freedom, and experienced fewer material needs.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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