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New center opens in Little Saigon featuring museum, culture exhibits

March 24, 2025

By Dô Quyen

Contributing Writer

In a historic milestone, the Vietnam Cultural & Media Center opened over the weekend, uniting six Vietnamese American nonprofit organizations under one roof.

The large venue in Orange County’s Little Saigon will serve as a hub for Vietnamese culture, creativity and community pride, its organizers say.

A former member of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, who did not want to be named, looks at an exhibit during the grand opening of the Vietnam Cultural and Media Center Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Garden Grove, Calif. (Photo by William Liang, Contributing Photographer)

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“The center is a collaboration of six nonprofits with a common goal: a desire to connect our Vietnamese-American youths to their roots,” said Dr. Quan Nguyen, the center’s director and founder of the Museum of the Republic of Vietnam, which is the central exhibition in the 12,000 square-foot former warehouse in Garden Grove.

Nguyen and three speakers, a leader from each of the nonprofit groups, addressed more than 200 guests at a grand opening celebration Saturday that featured youth and cultural performances and an early opportunity to tour the center before it opened to the public Sunday. The speakers expressed a shared mission of preserving their history, language, music and traditions to ensure their culture continues to thrive for future generations.

“Let the center be a place where history is celebrated and where the future is built with knowledge and pride. Together, we will ensure that the history of the Republic of Vietnam will never be forgotten and that our culture will continue to thrive in the land of the free,” Nguyen said. The Republic of Vietnam was the official name of South Vietnam before it fell to the communist North Vietnam in 1975, which spurred an exodus of Vietnamese refugees, many of who went on to build Little Saigon.

Following the speeches, entertainers from the nonprofit groups performed popular songs while guests, many were older soldiers in military uniform, explored the museum exhibits with friends and family.

War and remembrance

As the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon approaches in April, Nguyen emphasized the need to address misconceptions about the war and the South Vietnamese army.

The museum features the prominent 7-foot-tall “Retaking of Quang Tri Citadel Monument,” funded by donors for $450,000. Inspired by the Iwo Jima Memorial near Arlington National Cemetery, the monument depicts five Vietnamese soldiers raising a flag with the Quang Tri citadel wall and a pagoda serving as a backdrop. It pays tribute to the South Vietnamese’s victory in an intense 81-day battle in September 1972.

“When we first saw the statues, tears fell from our eyes,” said Viet Trung Nguyen, 82, of Garden Grove, who was a South Vietnamese captain who commanded 180 Marines in the battle. “We will always remember our brothers who paid the ultimate price for freedom and democracy.”

Three friends with him Saturday, also veterans of the Quang Tri battle, expressed their gratitude.

“Seeing the monument brought back memories, and I am very proud to have been a part of this battle,” said Sang Thanh Vo, 82, a former South Vietnamese Marine captain of a transportation unit at Quang Tri operations. But for Vo, the memories were bittersweet, he said, as he lost a close friend he knew from their training days at Thu Duc military academy.

“My children and grandchildren will ask about the monument when they see it. It fills me with pride to tell the stories of our heroes and victories achieved by the South Vietnamese Army,” said Vo, who attended with his wife.

The Quang Tri monument project began in late 2020 when the Westminster City Council approved its construction at Sid Goldstein Freedom Park. After the project met criticism over its size, authenticity and location, the council changed its mind, though the monument’s construction had already been paid for by the donors. In 2024, Quan Nguyen led a new, private nonprofit to bring the statue to the center.

Also on display are hundreds of artifacts, such as military uniforms, awards, medals, ID cards, photographs – from portraits to battle scenes – and heartfelt letters exchanged between soldiers and their families. One included letter, dated April 1965, belonged to Marine Maj. Minh Hang Lê, who was killed in action at age 31. He reportedly carried the letter in his uniform pocket, near his heart. He was the younger brother of Gen. Minh Dao Lê. Their youngest brother was fatally wounded.

In a far corner of the center, a floor-to-ceiling paper mache statue, “Thuong Tiec” (loosely translated: Remembrance), shows a mourning soldier resting with his rifle on his lap. The original statue stood at the entrance of the National Military Cemetery in Bien Hoa, but was later destroyed in 1975 following the Communist takeover.

“It’s fascinating to see what they went through or what their perspectives were back then,” said Aaron Pau, visiting from UC Riverside with a friend, Emily Nguyen, 25, of Newport Coast.

Ngoc Dung Nguyen, daughter of the late General Ngoc Lan Nguyen, said she was impressed with the museum.

“My husband and I came here in 1975 as refugees,” said Nguyen, who is featured in an upcoming documentary about her father. “As we assimilate into the mainstream U.S., we want our children to know where we came from, the sacrifices of our parents and why we are here.”

“I saw a multitude of ages from 3 up to 80 today. Everybody is so proud to be a part of this celebration of our culture,” said Nguyen, smiling. “I love that we now have a museum to showcase some of our history for our children.”

The center and community

Across from the military exhibit, an entire wall of the center is covered with a photo depicting Saigon’s famous Nguyen Hue street, transporting guests to Vietnam at the height of the city’s music, art and fashion before its fall.

Since its opening in 2016, the Museum of the Republic of Vietnam occupied a 1,000-square-foot office in Westminster. This year, a private donor helped it take up a new space at the center. As the museum transitions to its new location, Pauline Tang, chair of the center’s program Saturday, announced plans to install QR codes that will offer explanations for each exhibit in both English and Vietnamese.

“We will also expand our focus to include culture, the arts, and fashion at the museum,” said Tang.

In a cultural debut, they honored Minh Duc Hoai Trinh, known as a gifted author, composer and musician. Trinh studied in Paris and became a French television reporter before moving back to Saigon, where she was among the first female journalists.

“She was ahead of her time and was also very fashionable,” Tang said, pointing to a poster-size black and white photo of a stylish Trinh, smiling in Paris.

“Vietnam had a beautiful rich culture with our literature, art, music, fashion and so much more beyond the war,” Tang said. “We want to show the world the beauty of (the) Vietnam that we knew and loved.”

To promote cultural appreciation, the center will host tours for the public and local schools.

The front room will display works of emerging Vietnamese American artists, organizers said, and is currently featuring Linh Ho’s art, which includes paintings and colorful framed dried flowers. All proceeds from the sale of her art will be donated to the center.

The center will also showcase books and poetry from Vietnamese authors.

New center opens in Little Saigon featuring museum, culture exhibits Orange County Register

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New center opens in Little Saigon featuring museum, culture exhibits

War and remembrance

The center and community

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