Tet Festival Draws 100,000 to Little Saigon

An estimated 100,000 people crowded the booths and activities of the Tet Festival in Orange County’s Little Saigon on Sunday, capping what sponsors said was a successful 2-day celebration of the Vietnamese new year.

Saturday’s storm dampened, but did not cancel, a parade and opening ceremony welcoming the Year of the Snake in festivities on Bolsa Avenue in Westminster.

But organizers postponed several events until Sunday, when clearing skies arrived on cue. The Vietnamese new year officially begins today.

“It ran smoothly; everything (went) well,” said Tony Lam, Tet Festival coordinator and vice president of the Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce.

Lam estimated that up to 100,000 people, about 85% of them of Vietnamese heritage, attended the festivities Sunday.

No official police estimate was available. Westminster Police Lt. Richard Main said the festival was “peaceful but very, very crowded.”

“I guess the weather kind of toned things down in the beginning, so it got off to kind of a slow start,” Sgt. Ron Weber said.

Lam praised Westminster police for giving aid.

“The Westminster Police Department has been handling the matter very, very nicely,” Lam said. “We are so pleased with the whole thing and the crowd control. . . . They . . . kept everything under control.”

Police reported no major trouble, but there was a minor incident involving two young men fighting with sticks, Main said. Injuries were minor, and there were no arrests, he said.

At one point, fire officials had to restrict admission to one indoor shopping area, the Asian Garden Mall on Bolsa Avenue, because the facility was so crowded, Lam said.