Flag-raising in San Jose marks 48th anniversary of Vietnam War's end
SAN JOSE -- The flag of the Republic of Vietnam flies alongside the Stars and Stripes at San Jose City Hall after a somber ceremony to commemorate the 48th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, marking the end of the Vietnam war.
Many of the people in attendance Sunday wore black to mourn the loss of their country.
"It's a sad day, a very sad day," said Ha Trieu, a Vietnamese refugee who now lives in San Jose.
Trieu said that, when the communist forces from North Vietnam took over the country in 1975, it was the end of the war and the beginning of his own personal struggle for freedom .
"After this day, they put me in jail. I escaped and came to America," Trieu said.
Many families struggled to leave Vietnam or face incarceration or death. Their experiences are commemorated in a photo wall at the City Hall rotunda.
San Jose became home to thousands of refugees and, to this day, it is the city with the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam.
"The story of the fall of Saigon and the suffering the Vietnamese community endured is a reminder of how fragile democracy is," said San Jose mayor Matt Mahan.
Vietnamese Americans like Mr. Trieu say they will never forget how much this country and city of San Jose welcomed them.
"We worked, we're OK and we thank America for accepting us," he said.