Legislator, Aide Denied Visas to Visit Vietnam
An Orange County legislator who represents the largest community of Vietnamese outside Vietnam was stopped from visiting that country 10 hours before his trip.
State Sen. Joe Dunn, D-Garden Grove, was planning a weeklong trip to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with his brother, Michael, and an aide, Chuyen Nguyen, to learn more about his constituents’ culture, values, history and lifestyles.
The Vietnamese government revoked his and Nguyen’s visas Thursday, declining to explain.
Dunn suspects it was because of his criticism of Vietnam’s treatment of Tong Ly, a Vietnamese American pilot who dropped anti-communist leaflets over Ho Chi Minh City in 2000. Ly awaits trial.
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