Little Saigon
An important part of understanding South West Sydney is trying to understand the complex social situations that emerge from its different areas, and the impacts of these situations. In our two part series on the history of the South West, we draw on important documentaries and films that seek to present an accurate portrayal of the conflicts within South Western Sydney.
“Second-hand syringes and death were swept off the streets to make way for smiling and laughing families. This vibrant culture, a government initiative to patch up the businesses and lives torn apart by drugs, now cloaks Cabramatta. But tug at the loose threads of its past, and the exterior comes unravelling quickly.”
Stephen Pham is a writer from South West Sydney who isn’t ashamed of where he came from. On top of just being an excellent guy, his piece Holiday In Little Saigon, which was published in Sydney’s Overland journal last year, is an excellent insight into life growing up in Cabramatta in the late 90s.
One of the best things about this piece, though, is his reach – being published in a journal like Overland exposed the Cabramatta story to many who normally would be indifferent or ignorant, and the unsettlingly real stories which he shares in Holiday only help to educate audiences that facts and figures can’t.
South West Is Best 