Rep. Tran Condemns U.S. Diplomatic Participation in Vietnamese Communist Government’s Celebratory Events Marking the Fall of Saigon

Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Derek Tran (CA-45) issued a letter to U.S. Consul General Susan Burns, condemning her recent participation in events held by the Communist Regime of Vietnam commemorating the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.

Congressman Tran is the son of Vietnamese refugees and the only Vietnamese American currently serving in Congress. He is the first Vietnamese American to represent CA-45 - home to the largest Vietnamese diaspora in the world.

Known as Black April in Vietnamese communities around the world, the anniversary of the fall of Saigon is deeply painful for the hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese refugees who were forced to flee their homes, their livelihoods, and their country. 

Congressman Tran called for clarity regarding the U.S. government's position on Vietnam’s human rights record and urged diplomatic officials to stand with the values of freedom and democracy, rather than lending symbolic support to authoritarian regimes.

“The fall of Saigon is a solemn occasion worthy only of commemorating the immense loss, not celebrating the violent rise of a communist regime,” Rep. Tran wrote. “To appear at a celebration of this tragic milestone is to legitimize a government that rose to power through military conquest and has ruled through censorship, fear, and systematic human rights violations ever since.” 

The full letter is below: 

Consul General Susan Burns

U.S. Embassy in Vietnam

7 Lang Ha Street

Hanoi, Vietnam

Dear Consul General Burns:

I write to express my deep condemnation for your participation in the celebratory events in Vietnam commemorating the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon - an event which marked not only the collapse of a democratic ally, but the beginning of decades of brutal repression under the communist regime of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The fall of Saigon is a solemn occasion worthy only of commemorating the immense loss, not celebrating the violent rise of a communist regime.

As a Member of Congress whose parents were forced to flee the communist regime in Vietnam, I am deeply disappointed in your decision to celebrate and legitimize the communist government's brutal practices and human rights abuses. To appear at a celebration of this tragic milestone is to legitimize a government that rose to power through military conquest and has ruled through censorship, fear, and systematic human rights violations ever since. For millions of Vietnamese Americans whose families were displaced, imprisoned, or executed following the fall of Saigon, your presence at this event is a betrayal to the Americans who served in the Vietnam War and the Vietnamese who defended democracy alongside the United States.

I urge you to clarify your stance on the human rights record of the Vietnamese Communist Party and disavow any implied endorsement of its actions.

Sincerely, 

DEREK T. TRAN

Member of Congress

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