Date of Fund-Raiser Creates Concern : Observances: April 28 affair could be seen as a celebration of the fall of Saigon, some members of Project 20 fear. The dispute has split the group.

A series of cultural events designed to commemorate two decades since the first Vietnamese refugees’ arrival has been beset by behind-the-scenes political turmoil over the scheduling of a fund-raising event.

Organizers of Project 20 have been careful to articulate that their goal is to celebrate the accomplishments of Vietnamese Americans. But when fund-raising coordinator Diane Ai Phuong Truong scheduled a benefit for April 28, just two nights before the 20-year anniversary of the fall of Saigon to Communist forces, other Project 20 organizers balked.

Having the dinner so close to that anniversary, they fear, would be perceived as a celebration of the Communist victory. In a community often polarized over the legacy of the Vietnam War, such perceptions can prove emotionally volatile.

“That is not the date for banquets and music and fashion shows and things like that,” said Khoa Le, co-founder of Project 20. “We do not want to celebrate the fall of Vietnam. . . . That’s a wound in the heart of all the Vietnamese people who are outside Vietnam.”

Le said the fund-raiser had been scheduled for late March but had to be postponed. Truong, he said, set the new date without consulting other members of the committee. “Suddenly we learned she was going to do it” on April 28, Le said. “It terrified me.”

According to Le, committee members tried to persuade Truong to change the date. Instead, she split from Project 20 and organized a new group, Beyond 20, with Trang Nguyen, president of Little Saigon Radio. The group will have the April 28 fund-raiser at the Irvine Marriott as planned, and will donate the bulk of its funds to construction of a memorial to Vietnamese and Americans killed in the Vietnam War, planned for Westminster Memorial Park cemetery.

Truong, reached by phone, confirmed that the Beyond 20 fund-raiser will be held, but declined to comment on events leading to her split with Project 20. She referred further questions to Nguyen, who could not be reached.

Le said that Truong was not dismissed from her Project 20 post, but left on her own. He also said Project 20 will now have a fund-raiser of its own on March 31, although details are still coming together. That is short notice for planning and advertising, he said, but he said having it then is the best available option.

Le emphasized that other announced components of Project 20 (see list, A18) remain unaffected by the contretemps. Project 20 events are being held in other U.S. communities with large Vietnamese American populations. While all Project 20 events are connected in name, most are organized by the communities in which they take place.