Diep regrets remark on the Vietnam War

Councilman Lan Diep was booed last Sunday after saying the Vietnam War was “pointless” at a Black April event mourning the fall of Saigon — an impromptu comment the councilman said was an unintended mistake.

A cellphone video obtained by IA shows Diep addressing a large crowd gathered at the county administration building. Speaking in Vietnamese, Diep said, “We’re here today to mourn the lives of soldiers, civilians and refugees who died as a result of a pointless war.”

Seconds later, the crowd began hissing and yelling — one woman demanding that Diep be kicked off the stage. A man in a military uniform rushed the podium, shouting that the soldiers’ deaths were not meaningless and that they died with honor to protect freedom.

Diep apologized for his “choice of words” before finishing his comments and leaving the stage. But Diep, the city’s first U.S.-born Vietnamese elected official, told IA he didn’t mean to belittle the deaths of the soldiers or their sacrifice.

“Anyone who is willing to die for their country is a hero,” Diep said Tuesday. “Those who lived through the war and risked their lives in search of freedom paved the way for all the opportunities that my generation of Vietnamese-Americans enjoy today — and I’m very grateful for that.”

The flap evoked the Little Saigon controversy that sparked backlash from the Vietnamese community against former Vice Mayor Madison

Nguyen. Nearly a decade ago, Nguyen proposed naming a Vietnamese retail center “Saigon Business District” instead of “Little Saigon.”

The move led to outrage from a faction of the Vietnamese community and an unsuccessful effort to recall Nguyen. But it also put Nguyen on the map: She went on to run for state Assembly and now leads a homelessness nonprofit.

Nguyen said Diep’s actions — being at the Black April event — shows he has deep respect for the fallen soldiers.

“He made an immediate apology for what he said,” Nguyen said. “I think he misspoke and he needs to continue to let people know that. But he’s there because he has tremendous respect for the people who fought in the war. And I hope that people will forgive him.”