Asia Times Square

At the Pearl Restaurant, the air hums with conversation in Vietnamese as families gather over delicate dim sum served in steaming bamboo baskets. Just outside, excited children tug at their parents’ sleeves, eager to explore the carnival games before the evening's Flower Festival begins.

This isn’t Saigon—it’s Asia Times Square, a vibrant cultural and commercial hub nestled in Grand Prairie, Texas, between Dallas and Fort Worth. As one of the largest Asian markets in the state, Asia Times Square is more than a shopping center—it's a living celebration of Asian heritage, cuisine, and community.

While recent years have seen an influx of workers from East and Southeast Asia due to growth in the manufacturing and tech industries, Vietnamese roots in the area stretch back nearly five decades. Many families arrived in the mid-1970s, seeking refuge from war and communism. Today, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metroplex is home to the fifth-largest Vietnamese immigrant population in the U.S., according to the Migration Policy Institute—many of whom have helped shape Asia Times Square into what it is today: a cultural landmark and gathering place for generations.