' s ▁residents ▁do ▁not ▁speak ▁English ▁as ▁their ▁first ▁language . ▁Al most ▁ 3 0 % ▁of ▁the ▁city ' s ▁inhabitants ▁are ▁of ▁Chinese ▁her itage . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 0 s , ▁an ▁infl ux ▁of ▁imm igr ants ▁from ▁Hong ▁Kong ▁in ▁anticip ation ▁of ▁the ▁transfer ▁of ▁so vere ig nt y ▁from ▁the ▁United ▁Kingdom ▁to ▁China , ▁combined ▁with ▁an ▁increase ▁in ▁imm igr ants ▁from ▁main land ▁China ▁and ▁previous ▁imm igr ants ▁from ▁Taiwan , ▁established ▁in ▁V ancouver ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁highest ▁concentr ations ▁of ▁eth nic ▁Chinese ▁residents ▁in ▁North ▁America . ▁This ▁arrival ▁of ▁Asian ▁imm igr ants ▁continued ▁a ▁tradition ▁of ▁imm igration ▁from ▁around ▁the ▁world ▁that ▁had ▁established ▁V ancouver ▁as ▁the ▁second - most ▁popular ▁destination ▁for ▁imm igr ants ▁in ▁Canada ▁after ▁Toronto . ▁Other ▁significant ▁Asian ▁eth nic ▁groups ▁in ▁V ancouver ▁include ▁South ▁A si ans ▁( 6 . 0 % ), ▁Filip inos ▁( 5 . 9 % ), ▁Japanese ▁( 1 . 7 % ), ▁Korean ▁( 1 . 5 % ), ▁West ▁A si ans ▁( 1 . 4 % ), ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁size able ▁communities ▁of ▁Vietnam ese , ▁Indones ians , ▁and ▁Camb od ians . ▁Despite ▁increases ▁in ▁Latin ▁American ▁imm igration ▁to ▁V ancouver ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 0 s ▁and ▁ 1 9 9 0 s , ▁recent ▁imm igration ▁has ▁been ▁compar atively ▁low , ▁and ▁African ▁imm