MESA, AZ — It’s a growing community in Mesa. The City of Mesa dubbed a portion of Dobson Road the ‘Asian District.’
That designation happened just a few years ago, however, the history dates back more than a decade and continues to attract more people and businesses. It’s a culture more people continue to learn about as the community grows.
“There’s just so many more things to do. There’s a wide variety of Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese cuisines that people are able to explore and it's great,” said Anthony Amphonephong, the executive director of the Arizona Asian Chamber of Commerce.
Amphonephong was born and raised in Arizona. He remembers the day when there was only one Asian grocery store and even one boba place. Today, though, there is much more than that.
Matthew Ma, who owns Happy Baos in Mesa, said he no longer has to travel far to get the foods he craves and loves.
“I think it’s good because we definitely need more culture in this area. We always complained back then, oh, to get Asian food and to get Asian community shopping centers, we have to go to LA, California, or New York,” Ma said.
Now, it’s just a short drive for those looking to get all kinds of Asian cuisine or shopping needs.
Mekong Plaza opened up in 2008. UnPhoGettable Owner Chan Tieu opened up his pho restaurant inside the plaza five days before other businesses did. He’s seen the growth in the area and has worked hard to continue his dream.
Tieu left Vietnam on a boat when he was 11 years old. He got to America when he was 13 and worked on the east coast. Now, though, he owns two locations of his pho restaurant and still works in the tech sector, telling ABC15 he achieved the American Dream of being able to get his degree and working hard on his career.
“We were fortunate enough to get the family support to create this restaurant, and once you started, it’s one of those things, you put everything on the table and you got to try and find a way to get through it and I think we’re doing that,” he said.
In 2020, the City of Mesa dubbed the area the Asian District on the stretch of road on Dobson Road from Main Street to Broadway Road. However, even more businesses have popped up outside of those boundaries.
What started out with Mekong Plaza and about a dozen businesses grew to up to 100 Asian-owned businesses in the area, Amphonephong said. He considers Mekong to be the ‘grandfather of the area’.
H-Mart, a Korean-based grocery store that also has a food court, opened up in 2020, and both Amphonephong and Ma feel like the area received even more exposure.
“It really puts us on the map and I feel like that’s something that not a lot of Asian Americans have really felt growing up,” Amphonephong said.
Mekong Plaza is still growing, too. There are currently 28 tenants, and it’s at full capacity and has not had any vacancy for years, according to Steven Diep, who manages Mekong Plaza.
A new 37,000-square-foot building is now under construction right next to the original building. Diep said it’s been in the works for the last few years but COVID delayed things for a bit. He says they’re working to have it done by the end of the year so more businesses can come in.
“I think it’s awesome and it’s going to bring in more foot traffic here. Bring more businesses here, express the culture, you know. Before, you don’t see a lot of different ethnicities coming to this shopping center. Now, it’s just all diverse and everyone shops there,” Ma said.
“It’s a beautiful thing to see how much growth there has been, especially for the new generation of people growing up here,” Amphonephong added.
