Little Saigon Freeway in O.C. dedicated ahead of anniversary of the fall of Saigon
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A crowd gathered on the morning of April 18 to designate a stretch of the 405 Freeway as the Little Saigon Freeway.
“This event marks a historic moment for our community,” Assemblymember Tri Ta (R-Westminster) said to a crowd of other elected officials, community leaders and veterans at Carvana Westminster on Springdale Street. From the used car dealership, the audience viewed the portion of the road from Bolsa Chica Street to Bolsa Avenue, as the City of Westminster honored the local Vietnamese community for their contributions to Orange County’s cultural and economy.
The program featured speeches from Ta, as well as Assemblyman Ash Kalra (D-San José), Orange County clerk-recorder Hugh Nguyen, Westminster Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen, former Assemblyman Van Tran and Trieu Ha, president of the United Vietnamese American Association of Northern California.
Westminster’s business district was officially recognized as “Little Saigon” in the 1980s and many of the officials commented on the growth and support the community has seen since then, noting the freeway signs used to say “Little Saigon next exit,” but now reads “Little Saigon next 3 exits.”
The dedication was timed ahead of the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. On April 30, 1975, the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese Army, ending the Vietnam War.
“Fifty years ago, we lost Saigon, but we did not lose our hope,” said Ta. “Today, we honor the courage and sacrifice of over 58,000 American service members and more than 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers who fought side by side in the pursuit of freedom.”
More than 2.5 million Vietnamese refugees and immigrants fled the country to escape the communist regime and nearly 800,000 settled in the U.S. A large population settled in Westminster, and later the surrounding Garden Grove area, making Orange County home to one of the largest Vietnamese populations outside of Vietnam.
“This stretch of the 405 Freeway is more than just a road; it represents the journey of thousands of refugees who fled communism in search of freedom,” said Westminster councilwoman Amy Phan West.
The designation of the freeway was made possible by AB 2698, authored by Ta and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2024. The funding for the sign was raised by private donors and officials noted no taxpayer funds were used for the signage.
After the sign was revealed, members of the community posed for picture in front of the brown and white sign and enjoyed banh mi sandwiches.
“So many in the community came together to make this day happen,” said Ta. “This is a community project.”
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