Thousands Recall Fall of Saigon

Thousands of Vietnamese Americans gathered at separate events Friday in Little Saigon to recall the loss of their homeland 24 years ago.

The three rallies marking the anniversary of the fall of Saigon drew extra momentum this year from seven weeks of protests at a video store whose owner had displayed a Communist flag and a photograph of Ho Chi Minh.

The protests, rally organizers said, awakened a patriotic spirit in the Vietnamese community, which turned out in far greater numbers Friday than for previous years’ anniversary observances.

“I think it definitely triggered the deep convictions they have,” said Suzie Dong-Matsuda, an organizer of the Youth Movement for Vietnam.

The group sponsored a midday rally at a strip mall on Bolsa Avenue, drawing several hundred people. Though the event commemorated a war in which Americans and Vietnamese fought side by side, there were few U.S. veterans in the crowd.

Among those who did turn out was Westminster City Councilman Tony Lam, who is facing a recall drive fueled by criticism from the Vietnamese community that he did not participate in the earlier protests, which began in February.

Lam maintained that city officials needed to remain neutral during the protests, which drew thousands of demonstrators to Truong Van Tran’s Hi-Tek Video store. The shop has since shut down.

Lam was received warmly Friday, though, and spoke briefly, saying he supports the cause of freedom and human rights in Vietnam.

“We know that it cannot be washed away: our memories of the loss of our country, the loss of our loved ones,” Lam said. “We had to separate from where we were born and raised. I’m still thankful to be alive and thankful to be a citizen of our country here.”

The youth group also sponsored a remembrance event later in the day at Westminster High School. With American and South Vietnamese flags waving in the breeze, the young crowd of about 5,000 listened to speeches and chanted endorsements for a free Vietnam.

A second group, the Committee for Just Cause of Free Vietnam, held its rally Friday night on Moran Street, drawing more than 1,000 people, police estimated.

The gathering was peaceful as the crowd enthusiastically sang the U.S. and South Vietnamese national anthems, waved South Vietnamese flags and held clusters of red and yellow balloons. Local politicians burned sticks of incense to honor the dead.

Earlier in the week, committee leaders and law enforcement officials seemed to be heading for a clash after police denied the group a so-called amplified noise permit. That was initially interpreted as denying permission to hold the gathering at all, and organizers at first said they would encourage people to turn out anyway. They later reconsidered and said they would cooperate with police to ensure a peaceful assembly and keep the noise down.

Police brought decibel meters to the event to make sure it did not exceed city noise limits or disturb residents nearby.