Westminster leaders and community members commemorated Black April on Sunday, marking the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, after years of war.
Millions of Vietnamese refugees fled the country, mostly in in boats, to escape the advance of the communist regime following the fall of South Vietnam. Many found their way to Orange County.
Youth song performers with Viet Can Lac Bo Tinh Nghe take part in Westminster’s Black April event on Sunday, April 30, 2023. The day commemorates the fall of Saigon in 1975. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Yung Le wears the same helmet he wore in 1971 as a private in the Airborne division, he said. He was taking part in the Black April event in Westminster on Sunday, April 30, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Vietnam War Memorial is the backdrop of Westminster’s Black April Event on Sunday, April 30, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Girls with the performance group, Viet Can Lac Bo Tinh Nghe, By Do, from left, Ivory Nguyen and Sophia Nguyen, practice before taking the stage at Westminster’s Black April event on Sunday, April 30, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Ann Vu with the Vietnamese Youth Foundation, helps hold the South Vietnamese Flag at the start of Westminster’s Black April event on Sunday, April 30, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Youth song performers with Viet Can Lac Bo Tinh Nghe, take part in Westminster’s Black April event on Sunday, April 30, 2023. The day commemorates the fall of Saigon in 1975. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Women representing the Vietnamese female warrior, Ba Trieu, a legendary figure from the third century, take part in the Black April commemoration in Westminster on Sunday, April 30, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
An alter remembers those lost during the Vietnam War on Black April, the fall of Saigon, when the country fell to the North Vietnamese. The day was remembered during a ceremony in Westminster on Sunday, April 30, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
An alter remembers those lost during the Vietnam War on Black April, the fall of Saigon, when the country fell to the North Vietnamese. The day was remembered during a ceremony in Westminster on Sunday, April 30, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Youth song performers with Viet Can Lac Bo Tinh Nghe, take part in Westminster’s Black April event on Sunday, April 30, 2023. The day commemorates the Fall of Saigon in 1975. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Interfaith Council offer prayers during the Black April event in Westminster on Sunday, April 30, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Youth song performers with Viet Can Lac Bo Tinh Nghe, take part in Westminster’s Black April event on Sunday, April 30, 2023. The day commemorates the fall of Saigon in 1975. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Flowers are placed at the Battle of the Paracel Islands Memorial in Freedom Park, where Westminster held its Black April event on Sunday, April 30, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Vietnamese Americans in Little Saigon, now home to the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam, spent the day Sunday in reflection at Westminster’s Sid Goldstein Freedom Park.
The event, a somber occasion, featured a wreath ceremony and performances, including the singing of national anthems and a remembrance song for fallen and unknown soldiers.
Organizers planned for about 200 people to attend Sunday’s event. Westminster was the first city to recognize Black April Memorial Week, it says on its website.
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