Eric Paulsen / WWL-TV News Anchor

Despite the fact that most of New Orleans East is still a ghost town, one segment of the community that has come back quickly is the Vietnamese community. All along Alcee Fortier, about 90 percent of the businesses are back up and running.

At the Phuoc Luoc supermarket the owners stayed during the storm. There was water in the street, but none came in the store.

WWL-TV

Workers at the Duong Phuong bakery are busy, but not as busy as before Katrina.

The daughter of the owners says that the determination of the Vietnamese community has helped them get back quickly.

“Asians are not like Americans,” she said. “Whether or not we struggle, we don’t quit so easily. We like to see everything up and running. Once we start something, we like to see it through.”

But the businesses depended on more than just the Vietnamese community. They had a big customer base in New Orleans East and plenty of tourist traffic.

On Chef Menteur Highway, the Duong Phuong bakery is doing well since reopening, but nothing like it did pre-Katrina.

“Things have changed,” said Linh Tran. “We’re opened less hours now because there aren’t that many people around. Until recently, we didn’t have street lights so a lot of our employees were scared, so we closed early.”

The bakery is very well known for its bread and other goods and it even has a shipping business to fall back on. However they are hoping that the East can come back and business thrives again.

“I’ve heard a lot of people are coming back, especially when summer comes and the kids are out of school,” said Tran. “I’m waiting for that boom.”

Vietnamese-led or not, businesses that have opened in N.O. East are reporting doing booming business, but you can name the number of open businesses in any neighborhood on one hand.