Biloxi is home to many different ethnic groups who came to the city to work in the seafood industry. The Vietnamese are the latest to arrive, moving into the area during the late 1970s and taking jobs in the seafood packing plants. Vietnamese men soon began working as fishermen. They pooled their resources and worked together building boats, knitting nets, and working the waters. Initially there was conflict between the Vietnamese and the other fishermen due to differences in fishing methods, but the groups have since reached an understanding. The Vietnamese have become an established part of Biloxi's diverse ethnic population. There are now Vietnamese-owned businesses and services in Vietnamese at local Catholic churches that help them to express their unique culture.
		Sanding the bottom of a new shrimp lugger, Covacevich Boatyard. Photographs by Tom Rankin.

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