Oklahoma City Asian District
Oklahoma City Asian District
Oklahoma City's Asian District, previously known as "Little Saigon," is home to the state's largest population of Asian descendants – predominately Vietnamese. Located off Classen Blvd between NW 23rd St and NW 30th St, visitors flock here for international cuisine, culture and shopping. Bordered by Oklahoma City University to the West, the Paseo Arts District to the East and anchored by the Gold Dome building, Oklahoma City's Chinatown is right in the middle of the city's downtown action.
The Asian District began to form in 1975 when thousands of Vietnamese refugees came to Oklahoma's capital after the fall of Saigon. In the years since 1975, Vietnamese, Chinese and other Asian-American cultures started businesses and have transformed the Classen Blvd strip into a lively international neighborhood. Today, Oklahoma City's Asian District is often considered somewhat of an Asian oasis in the South-Central United States. Explore the area for scores of restaurants, Asian retail boutiques, supermarkets and Asian-oriented service outlets that cater to the district's large Asian population, as well as tourists.
Businesses include the immense Super Cao Nguyen market, local restaurants like Lido and Lang's Bakery, plus a number of pho soup kitchens. Visitors can also find everything from traditional Hong Kong dim sum and hot pot to Taiwanese bubble tea and Vietnamese coffee.
Keep an eye out for the district's famous landmark – the Milk Bottle Grocery. Constructed in 1910, this popular Route 66 photo-op is a nearly triangular building with a giant milk bottle on top, featuring the logo for the Oklahoma dairy company Braum's.