Groups Won’t Be Singing Harmony at Statue Concert

On the surface, the concept of a proposed Vietnam War Memorial statue of an American and a South Vietnamese soldier has gained universal support from Orange County’s Vietnamese community.

But efforts to raise money for the statue are split--even with a major fund-raiser looming Sunday in Westminster--by the same chronic infighting that has plagued other civic and political issues in Little Saigon.

Two factions are now battling to raise the most money--and claim the most credit--for the memorial that’s expected to cost $500,000. So far, about $350,000 has been raised. Both groups, which are affiliated with local Vietnamese-language radio stations, use the airwaves to scold and call each other names.

Caught in the middle are Vietnamese entertainers and members of the Union of Vietnamese Student Assns., who organized Sunday’s fund-raiser concert from 2 to 9 p.m. in a vacant lot at Monroe and 13th streets, where the statue someday may stand. Criticized by both factions, they now face a difficult political choice: How should the money be distributed?

“We don’t want to be influenced by any group or political party in the community,” said Vu Lam, vice president of the union’s advisory board. “We just want to raise the most we can for something that is meaningful.”

The 10-foot-tall bronze statue would depict friendship between soldiers from the United States and the former South Vietnam and honor those who were killed during the Vietnam War. Plans also call for a 5-foot-tall base and, beside it, a computerized information kiosk that would display the names of donors. The $350,000 raised in the last nine months has come from private donations, mostly within the Vietnamese community.

“I feel it’s a worthwhile project for all factions,” said Westminster Mayor Frank Fry Jr., who claims he conceived of the idea two years ago but now is fed up with the factional fighting. “They see the money getting up to the top and now they’re trying to wrestle for control. It’s strictly a power struggle.”

The ruckus began last month after Uc Nguyen, a former South Vietnamese army pilot from Tustin, resigned from the Vietnam War Memorial executive committee, citing frustration with the nine-member panel. The executive committee, which casts votes on the project, now has three Vietnamese and five non-Vietnamese members. Tuan Nguyen, the statue’s sculptor, is a committee member.

With Uc Nguyen’s resignation, a loose alliance, consisting of Westminster Councilman Tony Lam, activist Hoai My Vu and community leader Nguyet Nguyen, began opposing the makeup of the executive committee, saying that it does not represent all factions of the Vietnamese community. The alliance has urged Fry to create a new committee to eliminate artist Tuan Nguyen.

“How come he gets to vote and gets paid for it?” Lam said.

Tuan Nguyen will be paid $190,000 for materials and labor on the statue and was chosen to be on the panel because of his expertise, Fry said.

Lam, and others allied with him, have raised money for the project by soliciting donations from listeners of “Little Saigon Radio” and “Voice of Vietnamese” radio programs on local stations, but no one kept records because listeners were urged to send checks directly to Fry, according to radio producer Van Vo.

Hoai My Vu, a former spokeswoman for the project, went on the airwaves last week and raised concerns about accounting for the donations. She did not return repeated telephone calls this week.

Lam said the statue was his brainchild six years ago, and he is angry that Fry is claiming credit for conceiving of the idea.

“The Vietnamese people have a very strange way about them,” Lam said. “When a Vietnamese person comes up with an idea, [other Vietnamese] don’t trust them. But when an American comes up with the idea, they jump in.”

Lam’s critics--community leaders Thang Tran, Tuan Anh Ho and radio producer Vo, who are allied with the executive committee--accuse Lam’s side of trying to claim credit for a project to which they have not made any substantial contributions. Supporters of the executive committee have pledged about $104,000 toward the project on Vo’s nightly Vietnamese-language radio program, where they have also called their foes communists for trying to stand in the way of raising money for the sculpture.

“The closer the project is [to] finishing, the more trouble approaches,” said Minh Duc Ngoc Ho, 57, of Midway City, a fund-raising officer on the committee. “It’s very sad because we fled communism and [now] we . . . fight each other for credit and fame.”

Constant bickering and the competition for recognition on high-profile projects in the tight-knit Vietnamese community is no surprise to many. Various factions toil each year to organize festivals and parades for Tet, the biggest holiday celebrating the lunar new year. There are at least two festivals held by competing factions in Garden Grove and Westminster. A parade in Westminster was canceled earlier this year to avoid disputes.

Two factions hold their own elections, each claiming to speak for the Vietnamese Community of Southern California, a prominent umbrella organization that represents the interests of the immigrant community.

And during the largest demonstrations in Little Saigon last year, after a video store owner displayed Vietnam’s Communist flag and a photo of late Communist leader Ho Chi Minh, at least two groups staged separate protests at corners of Bolsa Avenue.

Organizers of Sunday’s concert say they have been careful to skirt the controversy. They hope to raise $100,000 from the concert, which consists of about 150 Vietnamese performers who will entertain an expected crowd of 7,000 and coax them to open their purses and wallets. The free event is called “Appreciation to the Soldiers of Freedom.” For more information, call (714) 893-3139.

Supporters of the executive committee have criticized organizers of Sunday’s event for not charging an entrance fee to the concert, arguing that it would help raise more of the $150,000 still needed for the project.

Opponents of the panel have pressured organizers to hang on to the money that will be collected Sunday until a new executive committee is formed.

Fry said the rancor and bickering has dampened fund-raising efforts. Some people are so confused they have called banks to stop payment on their checks, said Jo Porter, project secretary. Others have yet to donate, possibly because a location for the memorial has not formally been approved by the City Council.

Xuan Doan, 70, said she is weary of the bickering.

“It’s a nasty ruckus. Everybody wants fame,” said Doan, of Santa Ana. “But they’ve only gained embarrassment for our community.”