Westminster Backs Plan : Little Saigon Aiming to Be Tourist Magnet

The Little Saigon business area in Westminster is on its way to becoming a major tourist spot--an Orange County equivalent to Chinatown in Los Angeles.

Southeast Asian business leaders Thursday won the support of the Westminster City Council for the project after some complained to council members that, even though they were U.S. allies during the Vietnam War, little attention is paid to them now that they have settled in this country.

“I think the City of Westminster should be proud,” said Dr. Co Pham, a physician and member of the Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce, after the council decided to support the plan. “We need more say, however, on development in the city because (our progress) has great connotations, especially for former allies in the Vietnam War.”

The City Council’s action was sought by the Little Saigon Development Committee to help the thriving commercial area of 700 shops, restaurants and offices with redevelopment funds.

The business leaders said they want to help ease parking problems, create architecture standards, help fight crime and stimulate further growth.

The area roughly includes Bolsa Avenue between Brookhurst and Magnolia streets, which in the last 12 years has gained a reputation as the center of Vietnamese business and culture in Southern California.

Mayor Pro Tem Charles V. (Chuck) Smith said council members, who also sit as Redevelopment Agency directors, support the plan. “We can approve the special tourist zone as a redevelopment project, and, in fact, next Tuesday the item will be on the Redevelopment Agency’s agenda to do just that,” Smith said.

“The City Council recognizes the potential that exists to develop the area as a major business center,” Councilwoman Joy L. Neugebauer said.

Retail sales, Neugebauer noted, total almost $1 billion for Westminster, with a substantial portion coming from the 700 to 800 Southeast Asian-owned businesses in the city.

Business leaders praised the City Council for its support during the special meeting in Westminster’s Civic Center.

“This has been a significant meeting to all of us in the Vietnamese community,” said the Rev. Duc X. Nguyen, a chaplain to the refugee community who works at St. Anselm’s Immigrant and Refugee Community Center.

Yet more than one Southeast Asian complained that the city pays little attention to the Vietnamese community or its leaders.

Thach Bui, a Garden Grove import-exporter who recently moved from Dallas, said the city needs to build a bridge with the Vietnamese community and increase its understanding of the Southeast Asian culture, especially with its Police Department.

“In Dallas, I was a member of a group that advised the chief of police. We held workshops trying to get more Vietnamese people to cooperate with police. That is one way to fight against crime,” Bui said.