REFLECTIONS ON THE WAR IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
On April 30, 2026, Viet Voices, in partnership with LAOSD and Heritage Westminster, hosted "Reflections on the War in Southeast Asia" to commemorate the 51st anniversary of the official end of the Vietnam War. Over 60 community members gathered to share stories and aspirations for the future. It was a beautiful evening of community connection, reflecting on how the U.S. war in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia continue to shape refugee families and communities.
Viet Voices
Viet Voices is a nonprofit organization in San Diego dedicated to serving the Vietnamese community by building community power through civic engagement and community grassroots organizing. The organization was founded in 2017 to increase civic engagement and voting among the Vietnamese community, and later stepped in to support the Vietnamese community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, Viet Voices has grown to provide education and resources to the San Diego community on a variety of issues such as affordable housing, LGBTQ+ issues, health equity, environmental justice, and cultural initiatives, including this event.
LAOSD
San Diego is home to one of the largest populations of Lao Americans. LAOSD is a grassroots, community organization that aims to empower Lao Americans through education and active social and civil engagement.
Heritage Westminster
Heritage Westminster works with local nonprofits, public and private entities to build initiatives that promote civic, economic, and community development.
About the Event
April 30th, 2026, marked 51 years since the fall of Sài Gòn and the “end” of the US’s war in Việt Nam and its neighboring countries. Although US troops withdrew from Southeast Asia over five decades ago, the war never ends and continues to live in other dimensions of life for Southeast Asian refugees and immigrants. For many, April 30th is a day of mourning, remembrance, and healing.
Recognizing that healing begins with critical reflection and collective dialogues across differences, the event created a safe and nourishing space that invites Vietnamese and Laotian community members to reconcile with our interconnected past, reflect on our shared struggles in the present, and collectively (re)imagine a just world for future generations. Through sharing food, laughter, memories, and stories, the event facilitated intergenerational and pan-ethnic conversations and healing.
The event began with opening remarks from Mimi Phung, the event organizer from Việt Voices, and a brief presentation by Catherine Quan Potmesil, PhD candidate in history at UC San Diego. The opening remarks were followed by a panel discussion and reflection, featuring Phiny Phiasivongsa, a Lao American and history teacher; Jenn Ho, a Vietnamese American and archivist at CSU San Marcos; and Michael Diep, a Vietnamese American working with the city of San Diego.
Keynote Speech
Catherine Quan Potmesil, PhD candidate in history at UC San Diego, with a research focus on Southeast Asian refugee studies, shared reflections on the war and what it means for the community moving forward. Potmesil discussed common images of war, bloodshed, and refugee camps that come to mind when thinking about and discussing the Vietnam war, as well as the narrative of rescue that brought thousands of Vietnam refugees to the US. What is less often discussed is the indelible mark these refugee communities left across Southeast Asia. Potmesil goes on to describe that the war is often a "misnomer" as it extended beyond the borders of Vietnam spatially and temporally. The war may have officially ended in 1975, but the ramifications of the war continued into the 1980s, 1990s, and even today.
Panel Discussion
The panel featured meaningful discussions about how memories of the war continue to be felt by immigrants and refugees who have built their new homes in the United States, and how immigrant and refugee children often feel a disconnect with their history, language, and culture. The panel featured voices from across the Vietnamese and Lao communities and explored the difficulty of having conversations with their families about the war, and how it continues to impact generations today.
Panelist Jenn Ho said she didn't know much about the war growing up; "My parents never really talked about the war. They would say they're too busy working, which yes they were, but I really think it's because it would have come from a place of pain they were not ready to address, at least not with a child."
Panelist Michael Diep echoed a similar sentiment, and he recalled, "My dad passed away last year and my sister told me that even during [my dad's] time in the hospital, he kept reminding her that in 30 days it was going to be 50 years since we came here as a people. So he never forgot. He just didn't want to have that pain in our family, so that's why I didn't really know about it. But as I reflect more for myself, I think what he wanted and what my family wanted was for this generation to thrive and to be successful, and that's what I view that day as--a crossroad of the pain and the future."
A common thread shared by the panelists is the need to learn from the history, heal as a community, and look forward into the future. Panelist Phiny Phiasivongsa encouraged the community to get involved and be the change, stating, "If we unite and organize we can make a change...Right now we need to take some action, and we need to listen to the young people...I hope that we don't just help our Southeast Asian but we help all communities that are being impacted, being kidnapped, and being deported."
Wall of Hope
The evening wrapped up with a closing activity called the "Wall of Hope" where community members were invited to write a hope for the future in any language. To end the evening, Mimi Phung shared a Vietnamese proverb, “Ăn quả nhớ kẻ trồng cây," which translates to "when eating fruit, remember who planted the tree." She said, "so let us never forget where we came from as we plant the seeds for a better future."
