Steps to Recovery

A walkathon to benefit flood victims in Vietnam raised almost $100,000 Sunday from 3,000 Vietnamese Americans who marched in support of family members and others whose lives have been devastated by the country’s worst flooding in almost 50 years.

The daylong event, held under blue skies at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley, was one of three fund-raisers organized Sunday by the Vietnamese expatriate community in the United States. Walks also were held in San Jose and Houston.

Organizers said the fund-raisers will help families left homeless and hungry by the deluge in the seven central provinces of Vietnam. Money raised from the walks will be distributed directly to various religious groups in the country, which will decide how best to use the donations, said Peter Nguyen, who helped organize the local march.

“This way we can bypass the government entirely. In the past, some government agencies have handled the financial contributions we’ve sent to Vietnam, and only a small percentage of the funds is actually used to help the people,” said Nguyen, 36, of Fountain Valley.

Sunday’s march included a patriotic ceremony and traditional Vietnamese music. Participants included many youths who were born in the United States and for whom Vietnam is a distant place their parents talk about.

However, many teenagers said they were marching to show solidarity with their parents and relatives affected by the floods.

Matt Nguyen, 16, marched alongside his brother, Dave, 19. The Nguyen brothers are from Orange and have relatives living in Danang and Hue, two areas hit hard by the flooding.

“Our parents made a donation. We’re here to help out by walking,” Matt said. “This isn’t really a political event. Right now it’s more important to help the people who need our assistance.”

Van Bich Tran, 25, and other organizers said they expected to collect $100,000 in donations. By 11 a.m., officials said they had already raised $80,520. People stood in line at one table with checkbooks in hand, waiting to contribute.

Vietnam, one of the world’s poorest nations, has been plagued by heavy rains since November. Damage has been estimated at more than $250 million, and about 200,000 families are in need of emergency food and water. About 194,000 houses have been destroyed and almost 600 people killed in the flooding, government officials said.

Sunday’s fund-raisers in California and Texas, where a large number of Vietnamese Americans live, were also meant to inspire hope among Vietnam’s disaster victims, said Khanh Nguyen, 50.

“We want to send a message to Vietnam that we here are concerned about our countrymen,” said Nguyen, a Santa Ana resident. “We want them to know that we care about their well-being and want to provide a helping hand. We know that $100,000 isn’t a lot of money when victims number in the millions, but we hope that it will lessen the suffering, even if only a little bit.”