Attract Customers to Little Saigon

Bolsa Avenue in Westminster gives off the exotic feel of Asia. Noodle shops stand next to hair salons, hole-in-the-wall clothing shops crowd insurance agencies, and the overwhelming presence of Vietnamese-language signs proclaims that this is “Little Saigon.”

The area still is unlike any other in Orange County. But after two decades, Little Saigon is starting to show its age. It deserves at least a sprucing up and maybe a large-scale overhaul.

The city of Westminster is considering a number of proposals to change the look of the area. One suggestion that seems to have general agreement is to make Little Saigon easier to walk around in.

Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo and Chinatown sections have that quality; they’re known as pedestrian friendly in designers’ jargon. Areas that aren’t known for their ethnicity also have redesigned themselves to persuade visitors to park their cars and walk around for a while. Pasadena’s Old Town and Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade are two good examples.

Some Little Saigon merchants believe the lack of attractiveness to pedestrians is one reason Bolsa Avenue has never drawn much tourist traffic. Tourists are seen as one source of revenue for the area.

Refugees fleeing Vietnam at the end of the war settled in Orange County nearly a quarter century ago. A number have moved from Little Saigon. Others have seen their children move elsewhere, continuing the traditional experience of second-generation Americans.

Whatever shape the redesign of Little Saigon takes, it will have to be traditional enough to continue the appeal to the older generation, but updated enough to be attractive to Vietnamese Americans born in this country.

Those who suggest giving the area touches of old Saigon, with bilingual signs, tree-lined streets and decorative lampposts, are on the right track.

With around 2,000 businesses jammed into a two-mile stretch along Bolsa Avenue, there’s plenty to attract customers.

It shouldn’t take too much redesign to lure outsiders and expose them to one of the cultures that make Orange County such a vibrant community. Little Saigon has evolved into one of the county’s landmarks; helping it prosper will benefit the community, the city and the county.