Minh Tran, a Vietnamese refugee, prays at a memorial wall during Westminster’s Black April Remembrance Ceremony in Sid Goldstein Freedom Park on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
In a solemn ceremony, the Little Saigon community remembered Black April on Tuesday, April 30.
The day marked the 49th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and South Vietnam on April 30, 1975, to North Vietnamese troops.
A Westminster ceremony included a poem recitation, prayers, traditional songs and the laying of a wreath at Sid Goldstein Freedom Park.
Cmdr. Bill Drinnin with the Westminster Police Honor Guard, takes part in Westminster’s Black April Remembrance Ceremony on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. The event commemorates the fall of Saigon. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
An oversized South Vietnam flag is carried during the Black April Remembrance Ceremony in Westminster on
Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Anh Nguyet wears a handmade traditional Vietnames hat during the Black April Remembrance Ceremony in Westminster on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Alice Pheneger, 2, waves both the Aerican and South Vietnmese flags during a Black April Remembrance Ceremony in Westminster on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A small plane drags a message along the sky during Westminster’s Black April Remembrance Ceremony in Sid Goldstein Freedom Park on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The South Vietnamese flag is reflected in Anh Nguyet ’s glasses during the Black April Remembrance Ceremony in Westminster on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
“Thap Sang Viet Nam” is performed during Westminster’s Black April Remembrance Ceremony on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Sid Goldstein Freedom Park. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
“Thap Sang Viet Nam” is performed during Westminster’s Black April Remembrance Ceremony on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Sid Goldstein Freedom Park. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Westminster’s Black April Remembrance Ceremony in Sid Goldstein Freedom Park ends with the song, “The Proud Homeland of Vietnam” on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Minh Tran, a Vietnamese refugee, prays at a memorial wall during Westminster’s Black April Remembrance Ceremony in Sid Goldstein Freedom Park on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Millions of Vietnamese fled the communist regime, many by boats, and many found a home in Orange County. The Little Saigon area is considered the largest diasporic community of Vietnamese people outside of Vietnam.
As in years past, Orange County Reps. Lou Correa and Michelle Steel introduced a resolution in Congress commemorating Black April. Correa, a Democrat, and Steel, a Republican, both represent parts of the Little Saigon community.
The resolution says Congress “honors the contributions of Vietnamese Americans to the United States over the last 49 years and their tireless commitment to upholding freedom, human rights and democracy in Vietnam,” as well as recognizes American servicemembers, South Vietnamese forces and civilians who died in the Vietnam War.
