Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 12/4/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Courtesy of the San Jose City Council Councilwoman Madison Nguyen of District 7.

During the San Jose City Council meeting Nov. 20, approximately 800 people protested an 8-3 vote in favor of naming a district of San Jose the "Saigon Business District."

This one-mile stretch along Story Road, between Highway 101 and Senter Road, is home to numerous Vietnamese-owned businesses.

Protestors argued for the new to name to be "Little Saigon" or "New Saigon" instead.

During the meeting, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed had to call an intermission due to the loud, disruptive shouting of protestors.

Tu-Anh Dang, a senior psychology major who visits the area often, said the name "Little Saigon" gives the community a better historic connection to Vietnam.

"It gives the younger generation the opportunity to know why we're here," she said. "It also gives the older generation the opportunity to let us know what they went through."

Reed, in a written statement, said there have been diverse opinions pertaining to this issue.

"Our goal is to foster an environment where an exchange of ideas can happen freely," Reed wrote in the statement. "I hope that we have done that through the city's community process."

City Council approved the designation of the Vietnamese retail area in June.

"My intent was to honor the contributions that the Vietnamese-American community has made to San Jose," Reed said. "I hope to promote economic development in the diverse business district."

The importance of the name Saigon can be traced back to 1970s, when it was the capital of Vietnam. Following the Vietnam War in 1975, the city was renamed Ho Chi Minh City after it came under the control of the communist Vietnam People's Army.

Councilwoman Madison Nguyen of District 7, who was born in Vietnam, voted in favor for the new name as a compromise for the community.

"'Saigon Business District' allows us to remember the past while at the same time allows us to move forward for the future," Nguyen said.

Some members of the Vietnamese Student Association at SJSU were disappointed at the result of the city council's voting.

Tran Mai, a senior chemistry major, said she felt that Nguyen did not fulfill her role as a councilwoman.

"I'm disappointed in Madison (Nguyen)," she said. "She is supposed to represent (the Vietnamese community), and she's not doing that."

Mai also said she prefers the name "Little Saigon" because there are many Vietnamese-populated places in America with that name, giving it an identity in her opinion.

Nghia Nguyen, a junior corporate financial management major, said it isn't fair to have only the City Council vote for something that affects the community.

"We should have the Vietnamese community vote for the name," he said. "It's not only businesses there, but it's a whole community. It's like a 'Vietnamtown,' but we call it 'Little Saigon.'"

Reed said that if the community wanted to use the name "Little Saigon" for signs and advertising instead, he would have no problems with it.

"The people will ultimately create the identity of the business district through their every day use," Reed wrote in his statement.

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