SUGAR LAND, TEXAS: Houston is home to over 100,000 Vietnamese immigrants. The city’s Vietnamese population is second only in size to that of Los Angeles. Helping to unify the large immigrant population is the Vietnam Buddhist Center located on 10 acres in suburban Houston. Along with an 8,000-square-foot temple containing a 35-foot-high Buddha, the property houses a monastery where monks live and train. Under the guidance of Thich Nguyen Hahn, the monastery’s abbot and founder, about 20 resident monks serve the community by helping the areas newcomers adjust to American life while preserving the Buddhist philosophy and Vietnamese culture. Since 1994 when construction began, the center has been gaining recognition. Immigrants and visitors from all parts of the country travel to the monastery, which Hahn is working to make an international training facility.
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