> someone told me that in South East Asia, like many places, there is a lot of difference between educated people there and uneducated people there

Such as their education level? Is that specific to South East Asia somehow?

The vast majority of Vietnamese American came to the US not really as immigrants seeking newfound opportunities, but as refugees who have lost their home. I imagine such a sudden uprooting has made them somewhat insular, as they bound together in a foreign environment for which they were not prepared.