Vietnam (Origin of Nail Salon Business) (1/3)

One of research interests is entrepreneurship and self-employment among Asian Americans. In that context, as New American Media reports, one example that has increasingly become prominent in recent years is the dominance of Vietnamese Americans in the nail salon business:

These days, [nail salons are] a main source of living for the Vietnamese American community. Drummey, publisher of VietSalon, a bi-monthly magazine, says that nearly 45 percent of the nail salons in the United States employ Vietnamese technicians or are Vietnamese owned. . . .

And with that growth has come advancement. Men, for one, are entering the field in huge numbers. And as Vietnamese Americans are becoming more entrenched in the industry, they are investing more funds and technique in their daily work, upgrading their salons with top-of-the-line equipment and first-rate artistry.

The article also mentions that apparently, there are now even international competitions on nail art (the intricate designs that are painted onto fingernails). Unfortunately, the article does not mention any challenges that Vietnamese experience in either opening up or operating their nail salons (such as dealing with increasingly stringent health regulations, toxic fumes from the chemicals used, and competition from other Vietnamese salons), nor any issues related to interacting with their clientele that inevitably arise (i.e., how customers might get annoyed if employees talk among themselves in Vietnamese rather than English, etc.).

For those discussions, be sure to read Prof. Miliann Kangs research on Korean-owned nail salons in New York City. Nonetheless, one cannot help but be impressed by the extent to which Vietnamese have come to dominate this particular industry. It is a testament to their efforts to find their own niche and to leverage their individual and collective resources to succeed in their own small businesses and in the process, fulfill their version of the American dream.

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[maisuccess]

no shame in the nail industry! i've bought 5 homes, 3 luxury cars, sent my childrens to medical school, and still have a sizeable retirement portfolio!

[KHallesy]

Vietnamese women are sexy and hot!!!

[2LonelyPlanet]

@iloveukahlil

[2LonelyPlanet]

@iloveukahlil then you shouldn't learn anything from that teacher, there is no such things to make fun of other people not because of their races, their skin colors, or where they come from... that's called RACISM, which is bad for our country.

I'm Vietnamese, myself, but i dearly love the United States of America. Remember, we are living in an United Nations, not a single race nation. People are ungrateful to make fun of other races. Shame on them.

[ilovelosangeles999]

My grama owns a nail shop.

[SuperTruth77]

My 29YO sister is a tireless charity worker, but is constantly annoyed by the amounts women spend on hair & beauty treatments- the entire local High Street is now full of salons.

Sadly it’s all made her a little unbalanced. She’s now taken to making-up her face grotesquely, like some demented clown & then bursting into each salon screaming “Is this beautiful!? Will men desire me more now I have painted myself like a WHORE!?”

We appreciate her feelings, but find her behaviour worrying…

[VNSki]

@mattwil2279 Well, those are idiots. Even though they make that much money, they cannot spend the money. If they do the IRS will probably question them. I live in Canada, and your taxes are way higher than it is in the States. My brother alone probably pays around 35k a year of tax in Canada, because we have to pay 24%+ of our income. Not every nail shop does tax evasion, and they are really small if its true. Big companies do tax evasions all the time, millions of dollars.

[mattwil2279]

Nothing is wrong with doing nails but 90% of the employees and owners commit tax evasion, that is why they net so much money making $80,000 per year and paying $2000 in taxes doesnt add up

[mattwil2279]

@VNSki Nothing is wrong with doing nails but 90% of the employees and owners commit tax evasion, that is why they net so much money making $80,000 per year and paying $2000 in taxes doesnt add up,

[DarknessAi]

@KHallesy duhh =)

[TheFatMolly]

be glad the vietnamese arent robbing convenience stores and mooching the govnt and filling up the prisons of america. The vietnamese are grateful towards this country.

[VNSki]

Nails has paid for my families education to become researchers,doctors and engineers. Vietnamese are not ashamed of doing nails, because atleast we have jobs that can help our next generation to be top students in school and get better jobs.