San Jose highway could be named to honor Vietnamese community

A bipartisan effort to honor San Jose’s Vietnamese American community at the state level has passed a key milestone.

The state Assembly has unanimously approved a bill authored by Assemblymember Ash Kalra to rename a stretch of Highway 101 in San Jose between the Story Road exit and Interstate 280/680 junction “Little Saigon Freeway.” Supporters say renaming this portion of Highway 101, which is just shy of half a mile, is an important way to recognize the history and contributions of Vietnamese Americans. San Jose has the largest Vietnamese American population of any city outside Vietnam.

Kalra said this part of Highway 101 leads into the Little Saigon neighborhood, so renaming it will continue paying homage to the community.

“It gives an opportunity for folks that are coming to visit Little Saigon or those just passing through San Jose to understand the importance of the Vietnamese community to our city,” Kalra told San José Spotlight.

The bill, known as Assembly Concurrent Resolution 71, still has to pass the state Senate. Kalra said local state Sen. Dave Cortese will carry it through. Kalra doesn’t expect the bill to run into any issues on its way to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk by mid-September.

Costs aren’t outlined in the bill, though it directs the California Department of Transportation to calculate the total cost for the signage. The bill suggests funding will come from “nonstate sources.”

Santa Clara County District 2 Supervisor Betty Duong is the first Vietnamese American to serve on the Board of Supervisors. She said Kalra’s bill recognizes the importance of Little Saigon not only for the Vietnamese American community, but all of East San Jose’s immigrant communities.

“It’s very special to anybody who identifies with the Vietnamese diaspora, with the refugee community and with the San Jose community, that not only have we created new roots and a new homeland out of San Jose and Santa Clara County, but also that the community has accepted us as well,” Duong told San José Spotlight.

San Jose District 7 Councilmember Bien Doan, whose district includes Little Saigon, sent a letter of support for the bill during discussion on the Assembly floor. He highlighted multiple other efforts to recognize Vietnamese American heritage, including the push for a South Vietnam flag emoji.

“Little Saigon in San Jose is not only a local landmark, it is a cultural and social hub for Vietnamese Americans across the country and around the world,” Doan said in the letter. “We are proud of what we have built.”

Philip Nguyen, executive director of the Vietnamese American Roundtable, said the organization supports the proposal, as there’s a sense of cultural pride in creating this kind of landmark. He added it would be significant to rename the stretch of highway this year, which marks the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, also known as “Black April.”

Nguyen said it’s commendable that the bill has received support from Vietnamese American communities across the state. The bill’s primary coauthor is Assemblymember Tri Ta, who represents parts of Orange County — another enclave for Vietnamese Americans that includes the Little Saigon in Westminster. Other coauthors include Assemblymembers Stephanie Nguyen, who represents Elk Grove, and Patrick Ahrens, who represents Sunnyvale.

“I feel this is a step into that direction of recognizing the social, economic and political impact of the Vietnamese American community for the 50 years after the war,” Nguyen told San José Spotlight. “There’s this almost unifying factor. … It demonstrates a more positive direction.” Nguyen is worried the recognition could bring unwanted attention, as Little Saigon faces multiple immigration raids. Despite his concerns, he said it serves more to commemorate the community’s history and impact on the city rather than marking the neighborhoods negatively.

“If anything, it feels like it’s time,” Nguyen told San José Spotlight. “It’s our turn to have this space for our community.”

Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X.