What's Happening in San Jose Vietnamese Community & Interested News:

May 9, 1999: May all mothers of the world enjoy the little appreciation of their children today!
Dysfunctional Politics Ongoing in Little Saigon. Relics of the old regime are frustrated by the warming relationship between the U.S. and the new Vietnam. Individually, Vietnamese Americans typically have resolved this dilemma either by sending money to relatives in Vietnam or by bringing those relatives to the United States. But together they have been unable to reach an agreement as to what is best for Vietnam and how to achieve it. Differences in background, in the number of years spent in communist internment camps and in the time frame of arrival in the United States have prevented them from getting together. But intercontinental struggle is a difficult task. The international system does not have the time for a leaderless group of nationalists who hold no significant  global trump card. The Tibetans have the Dalai Lama. The Palestinians have the Middle East security issue. Overseas Vietnamese have nothing to speak of.
 
The core belief of the anti-communists is to drive Vietnam economically into the ground (an economic "stone-age," if you will), hoping to push the population into an uprising to finish up the communists. Only then would they, the anti-communists, be ready to help rebuild Vietnam. These senior warriors accept no other  approach and would promptly accuse anyone who wishes to assist Vietnam with new technology of aiding and abetting the enemy.

This stand creates a rift between age groups. Among the younger generation, mostly American educated, there is a different school of thought. The younger people believe that moving Vietnam forward would allow whatever ails Vietnam to be eliminated in the process. Unable to influence U.S. policy toward Vietnam, the relics of South Vietnam once again feel betrayed by the United States.

Since the massive protest against the Vietnamese Communist flag, the political atmosphere in Little Saigon has become more dysfunctional. Besides picketing Councilman Tony Lam's restaurant and lashing out with vulgarities against his customers, the agitators are out to discredit an organization--Youth Movement for Vietnam--by accusing some founding members of being "infiltrated." But not everyone is unreasonable, and not everyone is politically active. Except to show outrage when being taunted by a little video store owner, the majority does not get involved in politics. The common will of the new Americans is to raise their children and have them educated. Thuy Reed Is Founder of the New Viet Women, a San Pedro-based Organization That Does Social Work. Details by LA. Times.

May 8, 1998: Tony Bui delivers images of modern-day Vietnam ``Three Seasons''' is the first American production filmed in Vietnam, and Bui makes every alley he goes down seem like a fresh discovery. As an expatriate, Bui ignores the politics of the moment and focuses, instead, on Vietnam's eternal soul. ``Three Seasons'' takes its time to unfold, and yet it achieves a timelessness lovely to experience. At 26, he talks about movies with the same authority he brings to directing them. ``Three Seasons,'' won big at this year's Sundance Film Festival. The budget for ``Three Seasons'' was $2 million. For Vietnamese community,  I hope people understand that, It's not about me going back and making deals with the government. It's about me wanting to make a film about my roots. By SJ Mercury News.

Show time at:Act I & Ii/ Berkeley: 1, 4, 7, 9:50, Camera One/ San Jose: 2, 4:30, 7, 9:25, Clay/ San Francisco: 11:30, 2, 4:30, 7, 9:40, Nickelodeon Theatre/ Santa Cruz: 12:15, 2:30, 4:50, 7:10, 9:25,  Pacific Sequoia Twin/ Mill Valley: 12:15, 2:30, 4:55, 7:15, 9:25  Park/ Menlo Park: 2:30, 5, 7:30, 10.

May 7, 1999: For the second time in two months, a recall petition against City Council members has been rejected because it failed to meet legal requirements. Long Kim Pham of Newport Beach served all five council members last month with papers informing them of the recall campaign, but the documents were rejected by the City Clerk's office this week because Pham didn't follow requirements to file two blank copies of the petition with the council members and he didn't file proof of publication of the notice within 10 days of receiving the April 20 response from the elected officials. In March, Pham served a notice of recall against only Councilman Tony Lam, but that too was rejected because the length of his written explanation for the petition exceeded legal limits. Reported L.A Times.

May 5, 1999: Defection from Cuba. One of Cuba's most famous retired pitchers defected in Baltimore yesterday, hours after the Cuban baseball team, which he served as a pitching coach, returned home from its historic victory over the Orioles. Rigoberto Herrera Betancourt, 54, a classy lanzador zurdo (left-hander) who had superb control and a wicked breaking ball and who played in Cuba from 1966 to 1976, sought asylum at Baltimore's central police station about 10 a.m. yesterday. It was unclear whether any other members of the Cuban delegation had attempted to defect. Baltimore police said the remaining six Cubans who missed the plane had overslept and were due to return today to their island nation. Michael Gilhooly, director of INS public affairs for the eastern region, declined to comment yesterday on any aspect of the Cuban defection, as is standard procedure. About midafternoon, a Baltimore police spokesman, unaware of the defection, released details only about the six old-timers who were said to have overslept. Later, though, Baltimore police amended their statement, announcing about 4 p.m. that a defection had occurred. Details Washington Post.

FORT DIX, N.J. (AP) --  Kosovo refugees were flying to the United States today, leaving behind a crowded camp and a homeland ravaged by war for a New Jersey military base transformed into a sanctuary.  As the 453 refugees left the  Balkans this morning, some of the ethnic Albanians were reluctant to board the Boeing 747. ``Of course I would love to come back, but I'm afraid that we'll end up staying in America because of my children,'' Mehmet Selimaj said as he hugged his three
daughters, a 16-year-old and 11-year-old twins. Officials expect to move about 2,000 refugees a week through Fort Dix and Kennedy and plan eventually to phase out entry through Fort Dix.Details Washington Post.

May 3, 1999: Yen Do, editor of Nguoi Viet Daily News, which has been published in Orange County for 20 years, won special honors Sunday night from the Orange County Press Club in its 44th annual awards ceremony. Do, who has been been involved in issues in the Vietnamese community and mentors young journalists, received the Sky Dunlap Award for career excellence and contribution to Orange County. Staff writers and editors from The Times Orange County edition won 39 awards, including the most prestigious prize. Among the paper's prizes were 18 first-place honors. The Orange County Register earned 31 awards, nine of them first-place honors. Details by L.A. Times.

Vietnamese cultural hub debuts in Westminster. The Nguyen Ba Hoc Cultural Center plans educational events and revolving exhibits. "It was my dream," said Ngoc Huynh, who along with four other community members put up $50,000 as seed money to get the 5,000-square-foot center off the ground. "But now it has come true." The Nguyen Ba Hoc Cultural Center — named after a Vietnamese scholar — promises revolving cultural exhibits and weekly or monthly cultural and educational events. Center officials hope to make it a satellite library for the University of California, Irvine's Southeast Asia archives. The goal is to preserve the Vietnamese culture and provide outreach to the county's 200,000 Vietnamese It has taken a long time to get the center off the ground because of lack of funding and the refugee community's mostly political rather than cultural and social bent, officials said. Details by O.C. Register.

May 1, 1999: Links on Video:  Live from KNTV chanel 11 . "April, 30 Remembrance" at Cesar Chavez Park in downtown San Jose at Market Street.

Peaceful Rally Draws Thousands. In the past, commemorations of the fall of Saigon have drawn no more than "500 people, max," Westminster   police Sgt. Bill Lewis told a news wire. There was always something, but not on this scale," he said.

Pictures: 1, 2., details by Chanel 2000 News. Louis Tran Tuong, 53, a crippled South Vietnamese Army veteran sits at attention in his wheelchair as the United States National Anthem is played. Picture By L.A Times.

Vietnamese recall Saigon's fall. All across San Jose -- from Plaza de Cesar Chavez to the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds -- thousands gathered to observe the 24th anniversary of South Vietnam's fall. This year's April 30 demonstrations were the largest in years, a result of anti-communist activism stemming from protests in Westminster's Little Saigon. Once again on Friday, it was young people who sponsored the day's largest demonstrations. At the fairgrounds, more than 10,000 marked what they call ``Black April'' by attending a vigil sponsored by the Viet-American Nationalist Youth of Northern California. ``If we don't do anything about this right now,'' said Thanhan Viviane Nguyen, a 23-year-old San Jose resident who helped organize the event, ``eventually a lot of us will forget about our roots.'' Details SJ Mercury News.

Westminster remembrances for the 24th anniversary garner the largest local turnout ever for such an event. About 5,000 people applauded and turned the school's football stadium into a sea of South Vietnamese and American flags as five torchbearers took to the gridiron in a dramatic ceremony with drums beating constantly. Runners then carried the flames around the stadium in the Youth Movement for Vietnam-led event to remember the fallen soldiers of the Vietnam War  — including 58,000 Americans — and about a million people who perished at sea trying to escape communist Vietnam. Friday marked the 24th anniversary of the fall and communist takeover of Vietnam, known to many Vietnamese-Americans as "Black April. "At a smaller rally in Little Saigon by a rival group that refused to join about 70 community organizations supporting the youth movement, an estimated 1,500 people in attendance — according to police — released hundreds of yellow balloons.

Bob Violett, a former U.S. colonel who was based in An Lac in South Vietnam, was captured by the Viet Cong and sent to prison for a year in 1970. He, too, lit incense to remember friends and soldiers he met during his service. "It's a day of sadness for anybody who was there," said Violett, choking back tears. "I left behind a lot of friends. All the stories are stories of tragedy. These were people who were captured, tortured and executed." Caroline Vuong, 78, wiped her eyes as she recalled her escape from Vietnam 24 years agoFriday. "They pulled me onto the boat like a bag of rice. I'm scared of boats. I'll never get back on one again." Details  O.C. Register.

April 30, 1999: Today, 24 years ago, April 30, 1975 millions of Vietnamese left Vietnam for the rights to be free. More than a million have settled in America and the rest scattered among the free nations of this earth.

In this "Black April day" our theme song is a Vietnamese song, "Biet Ly or Farewell to Thee" written by Dzoan Man and probably became popular before the 1945s era.  Midi is playing by Mr. Pham Quang Tuan. The song is on our home page.

Only this much is known without dispute: On the humid morning of April 30, 1975, about 10 a.m., a tank crashed through a gate at the presidential palace in Saigon. Within minutes, South Vietnam would officially surrender and the Vietnam War would be over. That's when things start to get very fuzzy. One version of the surrender -- the account widely accepted by Western historians -- is resolutely denied by the Vietnamese government. Once inside Saigon -- since renamed Ho Chi Minh City -- the tanks rolled along unimpeded.

But the members of the tank crews were young men from the north and had never been to Saigon before, so they weren't sure where the presidential palace was located. They stopped to ask a street vendor for directions.  But, Bui Tin, a Communist Party member and an army journalist with the rank of colonel, except for one glaring discrepancy: Bui Tin said he was the one who first encountered Minh and his officers that morning, that he was the one who had taken the surrender.

The Bui Tin version is endorsed by historian Stanley Karnow in his bestselling book, ``Vietnam: A History.'' Bui Tin later became disillusioned with the communist government and in 1990, at the age of 63, he left Vietnam for Paris. Details SJ Mercury News.

For many, a day of infamy. ANNIVERSARY: Twenty-four years after the fall of Saigon, reverberations continue to beat in the hearts of O.C.'s Vietnamese. The last president of Vietnam, Gen. Minh Van Duong, ordered all military troops at 10:30 a.m. on April 30, 1975, to surrender to communists. "The reason we keep bringing it up every year is because back in Vietnam, the communists still rule. If you forget your past — 'Oh, I don't care about the Vietnamese people. I have a house, a job' — What kind of a person are you?

You have to help the Vietnamese people". "Fear is the emotion that I remember for a long, long time after the fall of Saigon," he recalled. "We dared not talk about what we think about government. Our neighbors were taken at night. "As their world was collapsing around them, many struggled to flee Vietnam, leaving all their possessions and, in most cases, numerous relatives behind. Details O.C Register.

One event is sanctioned by Westminster, but the other has the potential for conflict. Meanwhile, leaders of the Committee for Just Cause of Free Vietnam, which is opposed to the youth movement, told Vietnamese radio listeners that they will hold a separate remembrance at a vacant parking lot at Moran Street and Bishop Place in Little Saigon. The event will be held from 5 to 9:30 p.m. today. Ho's attorney, Kinh-Luan Tran, sent a notice Thursday to city and police officials notifying them that the assembly is  onstitutionally protected. Police have said a quiet vigil would would not be broken up. Details O.C Register.

April 29, 1999: Do not forget:"April 30th: The Fall of Saigon" Remembrance Day will be held at: Cesar Chavez Park, Downtown San Jose, Corner of Market St and San Fernando St., Friday April 30, 7 p.m to 11 p.m. Press Release. Other location: Santa Clara Fairground at Tuly Road, same day from 6 p.m - 12 p.m.

City Council decision is seen by some Little Saigon leaders as evidence of lingering prejudice. Life was just returning to normal in By L.A. Time. Picture:link.Little Saigon, and now a series of new conflicts is looming that threatens to further divide the Vietnamese community and put it at odds with other residents of Westminster as well. While some say the friction creates the opportunity for a new dialogue and understanding between Vietnamese and the larger community, others fear a confrontation Friday, when thousands are expected to flood the city for events commemorating the fall of Saigon.

Westminster ought to let the flags fly. It was a scene that's been played out many times in the Westminster City Council chambers: a packed audience, a long line of impassioned speakers, outbursts of applause and angry mutterings. And although the immediate subject matter has varied, the basic argument in the council chambers Tuesday night was the same as usual. They were arguing about the Vietnamese. Details O.C. Register.

Rally will mark the collapse of Saigon. About 32 youth groups were responsible for one of  the largest rallies in February in Little Saigon for human rights in Vietnam. Until then, staunchly     anti-communist elders had been protesting against Truong Van Tran's display of a communist flag and a poster of Ho Chi Minh. Some say the involvement of the younger generation helped articulate more clearly the message. While many in the Vietnamese community support the youth shouldering the responsibility for a freedom fight in Vietnam, at least one vocal group remains opposed, blaming them for taking credit for rallies outside Hi Tek video and being manipulated by an organization that in the early.

'80s called for military overthrow of communist Hanoi. The city recently denied Ho's group a permit to hold a rally on a vacant lot, citing the traffic and noise impacting a neighboring mobile home park and other residences. The youth movement members, meanwhile, shrug off the opposition from Ho's group, countering that despite their efforts to be inclusive, Ho and other leaders of his group feel threatened and want to continue jockeying for a leadership position in the 300,000-strong Southern California Vietnamese community. Ho says that's not true. Youth Movement for Vietnam members said they have seen an increase in membership in their separate youth groups since the video store demonstrations. Details O.C. Register.

Movies: Return to Vietnam "Three Seasons" may not journey far enough. The first American movie to be shot in Vietnam since the war, "Three Seasons" arrives garlanded with prizes from the Sundance Film Festival. The writer-director, 26-year-old Tony Bui, walked off with both the jury's Grand Prize and the Audience Award for his subtitled film. In addition, Lisa Rinzler was honored for her cinematography. Bui, who was raised in California (he left Vietnam when he was 2), interweaves three tales intended to reflect a society in painful transition, torn between Eastern and Western traditions. Three Seasons-October Films. Opens April 30.  Details by Newsweek Magazine.

April 28, 1999: Residents jam meeting concerning flag display. As of 10:45 p.m., no vote had been taken. Westminster has allowed the flags to be flown for the past five years to mark the April 30 event. This year, veterans and some residents complained that the display has been improper. Details O.C. Register. Later no vote was 4 to 1 meaning the flag on light poles does not have the permit, voted yes was Tony Lam.

April 27, 1999: A FLAP OVER TWO FLAGS. When the City Council two weeks ago rejected, on a 3-2 vote, U.S. Army Ranger Nguyen Hung's request to erect the display for seven days, he resubmitted it, asking to fly the colors only on Friday. The council is expected to reconsider the matter tonight.Those supporting the exhibit say the council would set a "regrettable precedent" should it deny permission for the display, sending a message that no ethnic communities in Westminster shall be allowed to display the flag of their countries of origin alongside the American flag Opposing veterans, promising to turn out in large numbers at tonight's meeting, say the display would not give the American flag the pre-eminence it deserves. They threaten to urge a boycott of Little Saigon businesses should the council approve the exhibit. Details O.C. Register.

It was a busy weekend for Vietnamese community in San Jose. At least 400 hundred people young and old came to Vietnamese Cultural Heritage Garden to commemorate the King Hung piety for the 4,878 lunar year from 11 a.m to 4 p.m. King Hung was the first king who established a land called Vietnam and all national patriotic spiritual was derrived henceforth in the hearts and minds of Vietnamese people. Traditional and cultural entertainment was also performed and hundreds videos gift with contents on the original of Vietnam were given to youths at the event by the Youth Networks in conjunction with VCHG organizers. Also, hundreds of youth remained to listen to speakers discussed the meaning of the date  March 10 Lunar year (April 25 this year) to youths whom mostly were born in America or too young to know of their background.

At some hours later, thousands of people attended the "Black April" remembrance day at St James Park on Sunday 25 in downtown San Jose from 2 p.m - 7 p.m. That was the date communists took control of South Vietnam resulted in millions of people escape for freedom mostly settled in America. In addition to speakers recalled the agonized and destituted experiences and decisions made to leave their homeland for freedom, human rights spiritual musical was performed by various  well known Vietnamese singers, who also came as refugees.

A Political meeting also draw hundreds of people on Saturday 24 of April in East San Jose. The star speaker was Dr. Nguyen Xuan Ngai who came to Vietnam in February to conduct the first-ever training in angioplasties and angiograms, which are relatively new heart treatments here. Interrogated for 3 days when he became well appreciated by citizens of Saigon and because of his  anti-communist political activities in America. Dr. Nguyen who is also affiliated with Columbia San Jose Medical Center.

According to San Jose Mercury News on March 5, 1999, ``We're definitely putting our efforts toward keeping this low-profile and to keep from fanning the flames of what has been going on with the guy and the Ho Chi Minh (picture) in L.A.,'' a U.S. Embassy official in Hanoi said this morning, speaking on the condition of anonymity. ``We don't want people rushing out and protesting in San Jose.''

The U.S. Embassy official said Pete Peterson, the U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, was aware of the Nguyen situation, although it was not immediately known whether Peterson had intervened with Vietnamese authorities. Nguyen's People's Action Party made headlines in December 1996 when 28 party members were arrested by Cambodian authorities and accused of trying to illegally cross the Thai border to hold a political meeting. However, there were also some who criticized his trip was not helping the anti-communists cause at the meeting.

April 26, 1999: Sanchez: Lobby for Rights in Vietnam. Sanchez, who represents the largest Vietnamese community in the nation, suggested Vietnamese Americans mount a nationwide lobbying campaign by using their political and economic clout to pressure representatives."About the last thing on the mind of most Congress people is Vietnam," she said. The turnout at the Garden Grove Community Center was surprisingly small on Sunday. Thirty people, about one-third of them Vietnamese emigre and mainstream media attended the session. Lan said it "was not publicized well enough and an advertisement included the wrong address."Despite those predictions, Sanchez said, that repression continues".Details by L.A. Times.

Last year to block a waiver of the Jackson-Vanik amendment. Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, joined a failed effort last year. The measure was defeated in a 260-163 vote. Now, Sanchez sees the likelihood of the two nations reaching a long-term trade pact this year. "I do not believe we will stop the trade agreement," Sanchez said at a community briefing at the Garden Grove Community Center. "But we need to get enough people on the train to affect some change. We must be fighting for concessions. "She said that her recent visit to Vietnam underscored her belief that much needs to be changed before free-trade benefits are extended to the country. A ban on Hoa-Hoa Buddhists from gathering in groups of more than three. Severe domestic travel restrictions placed on.

Buddhist leader Quang Do, who has been jailed repeatedly for dissident activities. Sanchez boosting her support among local Vietnamese-Americans. When Sanchez edged out Republican incumbent Robert K. Dornan in 1996, she won just 15 percent of the local Vietnamese-American vote, reflecting community support for the staunch anti-communism of Dornan. But Sanchez has increasingly called for stricter policies toward Vietnam, which resulted in     support from Vietnamese-American voters growing to 35 percent in last year's contest against Dornan. Asian-Americans, most of them Vietnamese, account for 13 percent of the district. Details By O.C. Register.

April 23, 1999: Don't miss Little Saigon. If Chuoc VoTa has his way, copies of this first all-English visitor's guide to the Vietnamese business district of Westminster will hit Orange County hotels and convention centers and John Wayne Airport in the coming weeks and months. The 24-page guide to life after months of work and years of dreams by many people interested in promoting the area. For a copy of the guide, call VoTa at (714) 898-3511. By OC Register.

"April 30th: The Fall of Saigon" Remembrance Day Friday April 30, 1999, 7pm - 11pm,Cesar Chavez Park, Downtown San Jose.

After 13-year struggle, Viet Catholics get parish. In 1986, Bai and other dissidents took over one of the Diocese of San Jose's churches on Singleton Road in an effort to create an ethnic Vietnamese parish. At St. Lucy's Church in Campbell, a fight between factions disrupted a Mass and sent two women to the hospital. Over the weekend, San Jose Bishop Pierre DuMaine and his designated successor, Patrick McGrath, announced in a letter to Vietnamese parishioners that their long-awaited dream had been realized. Parishioners cheered when the announcement was read aloud at Vietnamese-language Masses around the county. By S.J. Mercury News.

Aprill 22, 1999: Al, rumor is looking for running mate, for coming 2000. With the best Hispanic to win.

April 20, 1999: Tonight Westminster city council would decide on the flags --South Vietnam and American together on the light poles issue again. Last week by a vote of 3 to 2, the motion was defeated.

Fund-Raising: The Latest Presidential Returns Al Gore is doing well, but maybe not well enough. George Bush is doing very well  Al Gore as expected won the fund-raising race with $8.9 million raked in. But without having held a single fund-raising event, the Texas governor attracted $7.6 million. By Time Magazine.

Tran's Attorneys Claim D.A. Has Shown Bias, want Office Off Case. Tran's attorney cited Rackauckas' appearance last month at a political rally for protesters in front of Tran's store. Rackauckas' office plans to contest the motion at a May 14 hearing. Rackauckas' appearance at the rally does not prevent his office from fairly prosecuting the case, officials said. Seven misdemeanor cases have been filed against allegedly unruly protesters. Rackauckas' office dropped charges against 32 others who were arrested during the protests on a variety of misdemeanor charges. Prosecutors cited a lack of evidence in those cases. Details by L.A Times.