50 years ago, refugees helped shape Denver’s Little Saigon neighborhood. A new exhibit highlights their stories

By In The NoCo,

Published October 22, 2025 at 5:35 AM MDT

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A woman and a young child stand by a sign outside of the South East Asian Grocery Store in Denver's Little Saigon neighborhood. It's thought to be the first grocery store in the area to serve refugees that had products from South East Asia. — Outside of the South East Asian Grocery Store in Denver's Little Saigon neighborhood. It's thought to be the first grocery store in the area to serve refugees that had products from South East Asia.

A half-century ago, a mile-long stretch of Federal Boulevard in Denver underwent a quiet transformation. More than 10,000 Vietnamese refugees settled in that corner of southwest Denver after fleeing their home country in 1975.

Over the years, these newcomers turned the area into a vibrant hub for Asian culture. Today, it’s known as Little Saigon. The area is home to many local Vietnamese-owned businesses – with the distinctive architecture of the Far East Center as the neighborhood’s focal point.

History Colorado is highlighting some of the stories that bubbled up in that neighborhood over the past 50 years. A new exhibit called Big Dreams in Denver's Little Saigon features two dozen oral histories from residents, a documentary exploring the community, and art created by four local Asian American artists.

Jane Ly is one of those artists, as well as an oral historian. She joined In The NoCo's Erin O’Toole to talk about the new exhibit, and the role Denver’s Little Saigon played in her life.

The exhibit is open at History Colorado now through Oct. 5, 2026.