Bush’s visit to Vietnam sparks optimism in O.C.

In the streets and marketplaces of Little Saigon, the talk is of optimism and new freedoms for a country many fled decades ago.

President Bush’s visit to Vietnam today is seen in the nation’s largest Vietnamese American community as a heartening, profoundly important event. For some, there is even the hope that the president will find a way to champion reform in a country that still evokes bitterness and memories of terrible times.

“I’ve been waiting for this day,” said Kimberly Ta, 61, of Anaheim, shopping with her father and friends at the Asian Garden Mall in Westminster. “I am hoping that his visit will make life better for the people of Vietnam.”

Bush will attend the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Hanoi as part of an eight-day tour. He is the second president to visit the Southeast Asian country since the former country of South Vietnam fell to the communists in 1975.

Many in Little Saigon, a bustling Vietnamese American community that sprawls through parts of Westminster, Garden Grove and Santa Ana, say it’s the perfect time for Bush to voice their concerns.

“I just hope that President Bush tells Vietnam that human rights is important,” said Janet Nguyen, a Garden Grove councilwoman. Bush “comes from a country that represents freedom and democracy; he needs to remind Vietnam that if they want to benefit from the free-trade market, they have to abide by the human rights laws.”

Others suggested that Bush should be cautious in dealing with the Vietnamese government. Activists from San Jose have gathered outside the White House in recent weeks, asking Bush to demand that the communist nation embrace democracy before trade with the United States is normalized.

“It’s only fair,” said Ta, a homemaker who immigrated to the United States in 1981 under an Amerasian sponsorship program. She visits relatives in Vietnam every year and hopes Bush’s visit will “somehow make it easier for the Vietnamese to travel abroad” so her family can visit her.

Many Vietnamese Americans still have family in Vietnam.

Thuong Dinh, a cashier at Pho Vien Huong Dakao restaurant in Westminster, visits Vietnam twice a year to see family. There have been vast improvements in basic freedoms and growing prosperity, but more needs to be done, he said.

“It’s getting better,” said Dinh, 45, of Westminster, who fled by boat in 1979. “It’s 2006 already, not like it was 25 to 30 years ago, but of course we want to see more freedom.”

Vietnam was on the brink of becoming the 150th member of the World Trade Organization but its membership failed to pass in the House this week. A decision could be made in December.

The membership would be only a gesture, many said, because trade is already taking place. In Little Saigon, food, clothing, furniture, music and pottery are imported and sold at local stores. Many businesspeople travel to Vietnam but keep their dealings secret, fearing a backlash from anticommunist activists. Anticommunist feelings run deep in Little Saigon.

For Thuy Reed, a 53-year-old San Pedro resident, the trade vote is nothing more than procedural.

Even without any restrictions, Bush should push for Vietnam to trade, supporters say.

Sitting in front of a boba drink shop in the popular two-story Asian Garden Mall, Reed said that “99.9% of the stores here are already getting their products from Vietnam. At least opening trade to Vietnam would give so many people opportunities and jobs. You can’t punish the laypeople of Vietnam for the work of the communist government.”

Nguyen, the Garden Grove councilwoman, said her opposition to the Vietnamese government had kept her from visiting her native country. She’s tracking Bush’s trip, hoping that somehow it will speed reform.

“If they open up and the political dynamics change, maybe one day, I’ll get to visit my homeland.”

mai.tran@latimes.com