Statement in Opposition of “No-Communist Zone” Resolutions

On May 11, 2004 the city council in Garden Grove, 30 miles south of Los Angeles, passed a resolution saying it "does not welcome, or sanction high-profile visits, drive-bys or stopovers by members or officials of the Vietnamese Communist government." Garden Grove and the neighboring city of Westminster has 90,000 Vietnamese American residents. - eds.

from VietUnity
5/21/2004

VietUnity is a newly formed group of Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans committed to the struggle for global peace, justice and self-determination. We represent an important progressive voice within the broader community of Vietnamese Americans that has been silenced and repressed by the dominant political ideology of our fellow community leaders. We represent a younger population of first and second generation Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans who are not indifferent, but adamantly opposed to much of the conservative agenda of our fellow community leaders and that of the U.S. government. We hope to show with this statement that there are many political perspectives within the Vietnamese American community at large beyond the limiting ideologies of anti-communism and pro-communism

VietUnity strongly opposes the recent passing of the “No-Communist Zone” resolution of the city of Garden Grove in California and any other cityís effort to pass similar ordinances. VietUnity firmly believes that this resolution does more harm than good for our broader Vietnamese American community and for the peoples of Viet Nam by perpetuating an ideology that does not support true reconciliation, the building of good personal and political relations, nor the well-rounded education of our younger generations in the complicated, nuanced histories of our peoples.   

We believe that this resolution further increases divisions between the government of Viet Nam and our Viet community here, while diverting attention from the greater domestic issues[1] that our community should be uniting around. The resolution creates unnecessary barriers for Vietnamese Americans interested in really helping our motherland recover from the devastating effects of war as well as from the years of being isolated from the global economy due to the imposed U.S trade embargo.    

With these concerns in mind, VietUnity calls for an end to the “No-Communist Zone” resolutions. It is time for us to stop promoting measures and actions that work to divide our peoples, and for us Vietnamese Americans, the government of Viet Nam, and our elected U.S. officials to do the difficult work of restoring our negative relationships, keeping in mind at all times the basic needs and well-being of the peoples of Viet Nam and our communities here.      

To learn more about VietUnity, please email us at vietunity04@yahoo.com.

[1]The ending of welfare benefits in California is a serious issue that has disproportionally affected the Vietnamese working poor of Orange County and Santa Clara County, two of the largest Vietnamese communities in the nation. (ìVN immigrants reaching end of Welfareî LA Times, November 1 2003.) Justice has yet to be served in the San Jose police killing of Cau Tran by officer Chad Marshall who shot and killed Cau Tran, a 25 year old mother of two children ages 2 and 4.