History of East & South-East immigrations in France
During the First World War, 92,000 Indochinese and nearly 140,000 Shandong Chinese were recruited to work or fight in France. After the war, most of the Chinese returned to China, but a few thousand remained in France. In the context of the Second World War, 27,000 Chinese Army riflemen and workers were also recruited. In the 1960s, between 30,000 and 35,000 boat people from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos arrived in France. Many of these refugees came to live in the 13th arrondissement and created the largest Asian quarter in all of Europe. Another wave of immigration occurred around 1975 after the fall of Saigon. 145,000 Indochinese refugees settled in France between 1975 and 1977, 50 to 60% of whom were of Chinese origin. 70% of the boat people who left Vietnam were ethnic Chinese, and this proportion was even higher among those who immigrated to western countries; most of the people in the 13th arrondissement from ex-Indochina are Teochew, and their families left China to settle in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos (most of the Teochew in the 13th arrondissement come from Cambodia) and then fled the communist regime’s seizure of power in the 1970s.
Booklet from the Association Young Teochew of France
For more information on the history of immigration from East and South East Asia in France, click on the image below to access the website of the exhibition East and South East Asian Immigrations since 1860 at the Museum of the History of Immigration in Paris.
Today, the largest Asian community in Paris is located around the Choisy Triangle in the 13th arrondissement (avenue d'Ivry, avenue de Choisy, and Boulevard Masséna), where there are Asian supermarkets, restaurants, small businesses, and many Asian associations as well as Buddhist temples, Catholic churches, and other religious organizations. It is important to note, however, that this community is not reflected in the census statistics because many Asians have become French citizens, and many Asians working in this area live in the suburbs, notably in Ivry, Aubervilliers, and Lognes. Thus, the Asian district of the 13th is defined as an economic, cultural, and social center for the Asians of Paris, France, and Europe. It is important to note that the 13th also has many residents of French, North African, and African origin.