By Tan Vinh
Seattle Times staff reporter
To some city and county governments in Western Washington, passing a resolution to honor the defunct South Vietnamese flag at community events and international festivals is a respectful nod to Vietnamese refugees here — an innocuous gesture much like issuing a good-deed proclamation or praising the Girl Scouts.
But the Vietnamese government doesn't see it that way.
In the coming weeks, the embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Washington, D.C., will lobby the Metropolitan King County Council and other Puget Sound-area municipalities, urging them not to honor the flag of the fallen government of South Vietnam.
Already in the past two months, high-ranking Vietnamese officials have written Gov. Gary Locke and dozens of legislators saying support of the old flag would not be in the best interests of either the United States or Vietnam, reminding state officials that Vietnam has purchased Boeing airplanes and that the Port of Seattle has an exchange program with Vietnam's Port of Hai Phong.
The defunct flag — a yellow field with three horizontal red stripes — represented South Vietnam until the country fell to North Vietnam in 1975. It has deep sentimental value to many loyal refugees who hang it in their restaurants and homes, either to reject the communist regime as rightful ruler of their homeland or to protest the country's human-rights record.
In April, the King County Council is to consider a resolution to recognize the old flag at various public events and encourage other cities and counties to do likewise.
Council members Rob McKenna, R-Bellevue, and Jane Hague, R-Kirkland, the resolution co-sponsors, said they will go forward despite any pressure from the embassy.
"I don't think it's appropriate for the Vietnam embassy to lobby King County on this issue," said McKenna. "Our resolution speaks to the flag of South Vietnam as a symbol of the Vietnamese community (in King County). It does not comment on the current government of Vietnam."
While some Vietnamese Americans, especially younger ones, believe it's not productive to focus on the past and its symbols, the flag issue is sensitive for many refugees, especially older ones who experienced decades of war between North and South Vietnam and who supported the fallen government.
To them, Vietnam's official flag — a red banner with a single gold star — is a hated reminder of an oppressive regime many were forced to flee when Saigon fell.
Embassy spokesman Chien Bach said honoring the fallen flag in any way is a "scheme to revive a dead flag, open up the war wounds on both sides" and impede relations between the United States and Vietnam.
"The Republic of Vietnam ceased to exist nearly 30 years ago. When a regime ceased to exist, its symbols no longer bear any meaning ... and are replaced with the symbols that belong to the new regime," Bach said.
The Vietnam War was a painful experience for many families and soldiers, and the Vietnamese government has tried to reconcile with refugees here and elsewhere in the United States, Bach said.
Nationwide, other cities also have supported flying the old Vietnamese banner. Washington state caught the attention of the Vietnamese government because dozens of local governments here have taken up the flag issue in recent weeks and months. Tumwater, Lacey and Olympia in Thurston County; Pierce County and the Pierce County towns of Lakewood, DuPont and Puyallup all have passed resolutions recognizing the old flag.
Tuan Vu of Olympia and Norman Le of Lacey, co-chairs of the Vietnamese Committee Against the Viet Cong Flag, a group composed mainly of former Vietnamese prisoners of war and war veterans, are leaders in the campaign to support the defunct flag.
"The flag is our heritage. It is to remind our grandchildren where we came from," said Vu.
The Vietnamese government, said Le, should have better things to do than worry about what citizens in Tumwater or Lacey think of the flag.
In the last session of the Legislature, bills were introduced in both the House and Senate to honor the defunct flag. No action was taken on either because many state officials feared Vietnam would stop buying Boeing planes, several state senators and legislative aides said.
In January 2002, Vietnam purchased four Boeing 777s, two of which have been delivered, according to Boeing officials.
"The Vietnamese government lobbied hard against" the flag bills, said Sen. Marilyn Rasmussen, D-Eatonville. "For trade reasons, (the Senate flag bill) was set aside."
Embassy spokesman Bach said the Vietnamese government would reiterate those strong international ties to the King County Council and the cities.