Vietnamese Festivities Mark Year of the Tiger

A decade of living in the United States has merged Orange County’s large Vietnamese community into the American culture, but Saturday they honored a more ancient culture by celebrating Tet, the lunar new year.

About 2,000 Vietnamese, including many children born in America, mingled at Santa Ana’s Centennial Regional Park to celebrate the Year of the Tiger in a carnival-like atmosphere.

“A decade is a short time in human history,” John McCarthy, a special adviser to Gov. George Deukmejian, told the crowd. “But in the face of adversity, you have made great achievements in business, education and just as good citizens.”

As both U. S. and Vietnamese flags flapped in the wind, the ceremonies for Tet began with a Chinese dragon dance, fireworks and an ancient tradition, an offering of fruit and gifts to a Vietnamese elder by younger generations.

Phu Nguyen, 24, a Boy Scout leader and chemical analyst who immigrated in 1975, said Tet “is a celebration that has gone on for generations, and it is nice to keep the celebration going, even here, where we are away from our country.”

Khanh Tu Boi, one of the event’s organizers, said the event helps give Vietnamese children raised or born in the United States a strong sense of their culture.

“We did it for the culture first, to teach the younger children what their culture is and to remind the elders of Vietnam,” Boi said.

Although the park was filled with food booths, bingo games and other entertainment for the children, a special booth stood in the center. Inside were photographs of life in Saigon and of its downfall more than a decade ago.