<p>How big is the community? In campus? Out of campus? And what about at clubs?</p>
<p>I am not too sure on campus but I know there is a huge Vietnamese community in the Austin area. Demographically Central Texas has one of the highest Vietnamese population in the US (I think it is just after San Fran/ Bay area but don’t quote me).</p>
<p>The Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) at UT is one of the largest “asian” clubs here. I believe it might even be the largest. That’s pretty big considering that there is basically one for every nation (Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, Japan etc.). They’re very active and friendly having a couple intramural teams and events of their own.
In general, there are definitely a lot of Vietnamese students on campus. But if you’re coming from Houston or Dallas, you might find that the shopping hubs aren’t quite as big. There’s a Vietnamese area on North Lamar buts it honestly pales in comparison to a place like Bellaire and you can really only get there by car (I think its a 10-15 minute drive). They have a typical Pho place there along with a Dim Sum place and a First Chinese Barbeque if you’re familiar with that. Naturally, there is an HK market and several smaller stores surrounding it too.
There’s a Vietnamese restaurant on the Drag but it’s honestly not that authentic. There’s also a Banh Mi place called Bite Mi that’s actually pretty good but for whatever reason I don’t go there too often.</p>
<p>Overall, if you’re a Vietnamese person at UT you won’t have too much trouble surrounding yourself with other Vietnamese students if that’s what you’re in to. Though the Vietnamese community in Austin may not be as developed as Houston’s, I don’t think that should come as a big surprise. You’ll probably be busy with school and life in general but if it’s the food you’re worried about missing, the places are relatively close to enough to satisfy that urge every once in a while. If you’re in VSA, you’ll have no problem finding a friend with a car who will drive up to the restaurants on North Lamar on the weekends.</p>
<p>I’m not sure where lindsbb got that stat from but if it’s true, then I wouldn’t say it applies to Vietnamese people in specific.</p>
<p>How close is the campus to the downtown area?
Do you need a car to be around?
I won’t have a car and I’m worried I won’t be able to get groceries and whatnot.
I heard there aren’t many pedestrians and it’s mostly cars.</p>
<p>I’m getting the feeling that you haven’t been to UT before. As far as distances go, Google Maps is your friend here. [Google</a> Maps](<a href=“http://maps.google.com/]Google”>http://maps.google.com/)
For reference, the southern edge of campus is 21st street and it’s just a short walk to the capital. Downtown kinda starts around 11th street so you’d most likely take a car or bus there. If you’re living off campus, which it sounds like you are, then it’s not a bad idea to have a bike or car. But the vast majority of students take a bus or bike to campus (if they live off campus) and walk/bike from class to class. There are not any parking spots right in front of your class if that’s what you are getting at. During the day, you’d have to pay for a parking pass and park at one of the garages along the edges of campus and walk for the rest of the day.
So if you live reasonably close to campus then you should have no reason to have a car. As far as groceries are concerned, most people get their typical groceries at HEB. If you’re looking for Vietnamese items then you’ll probably have to go to the MT Supermarket at 10901 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX 78753 . It’s relatively far so you’ll probably need a car.</p>