This article examines how a relatively high level of intangible capital has enabled the relatively rapid integration of Montreal Vietnamese, thus making of them “model” minorities, without forsaking their culture and identity. Three major dimensions of the Vietnamese experience in Montreal are examined: ethnic community life, economic and social integration into mainstream society, and transnational ties. It is shown that these dimensions complement each other, and that each of them contributes in fostering one of the three forms of social capital – bonding, bridging and linking – as defined by Robert Putnam (2000). The article concludes on some theoretical implications concerning the role and limits of human and social capital drawn from the Vietnamese example.
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