Vietnamese Flag in City of Philadelphia
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Mr. Quang H. Mac, Commissioner of the Philadelphia Mayor on
Asian American Affairs reports the Special Meeting on Monday, July
12, 2010 at 5:30 PM, Room 221. City Hall. Philadelphia , PA 19102
OÂng Maïc Hoàng Quang, UÛy Vieân cuûa UÛy Ban Coá Vaán Ngöôøi Myõ goác AÙ Chaâu cho oâng Thò
Tröôûng Thaønh Phoá Philadelphia töôøng trình veà phieân hoïp ñaëc bieät vôùi oâng Thò Tröôûng
Nutter luùc 5:30 PM ngaøy Thöù Hai , 12/7/2010 , Phoøng 221, Toøa Thò Chính, Philadelphia, PA
19102.
On Monday, July 12, 2010, at 5:30 PM, Mayor's Commission on Asian American Affairs
have an agenda for Special Meeting with Mayor Michael Nutter to discuss many issues
relating to the Asian American communities of Greater Philadelphia such as Status of PARS;
School violence and the role MCA A A can play; status of raising the flags of various Asian
countries. * Viet Nam, Bangadesh , Cambodia etc,,,"
Luùc 5:30 PM ngaøy Thöù Hai 12/7/2010, UÛy Ban Coá Vaán Ngöôi Myõ goác AÙ Chaâu coù chöông
trình phieân hoïp ñaëc bieät vôùi OÂng Thò Tröôûng Michael Nutter ñeå thaûo luaän nhieàu vaán ñeà lieân
heä vôùi coäng ñoàng AÙ Chaâu nhö coù gia haïn hay khoâng gia haïn cuûa caùc cô quan chính quyeàn
ñòa phöông chia seû nhöõng döû kieän cho sôû di truù lieân heä ñeán nhöõng ngöôøi cö truù taïi
Philadelphia maø khoâng coù giaáy tôø hôïp phaùp; baïo ñoäng taïi caùc tröôøng hoïc vaø vai troø cuûa UÛy
ban coá vaán coù theå thöïc hieän; vieäc treo côø cuûa caùc quoác gia AÙ Chaâu nhö Vieät Nam,
Bangadesh, Cambodia v.v.v
This sensitive issue related to the Viet Nam flag had been discussed many times in the
previous meeting and this issue discussed again before raising the flags this fall .Mr.
Quang H. Mac who is Chairman of the Vietnamese American Community of USA do not
agree the solution made by the City to hang up both the Republic of Viet Nam flag and the
current Vietnamese Communist flag along the Ben Franklin Parkway. Therefore, the final
meeting will reconvenne on Tuesday , July 20, 2010 at City Hall with the participants of the
group of the Vietnamese Community Leaders as well as the Viet Nam Veterans of the Viet
Nam Allied Veterans Association of Greater Philadelphia. Dr. Thai Nguyen who was among
the Vietnamese Community Leader on Philadelphia sending email to Mr. Quang H. Mac
with the comments as follows :
Ñeà taøi raát nhaïy caûm naày lieân quan ñeán vieäc treo côø Vieät Nam ñaõ ñöôïc UÛy Ban thaûo luaän
nhieàu laàn trong nhöõng cuoäc hoïp tröôùc ñaây vaø vaán ñeà naày laïi ñöôïc ñem ra thaûo luaän laïi tröôùc
khi treo côø trong muøa Thu naêm nay. OÂng Maïc Hoàng Quang , Chuû Tòch Hoäi Ñoàng Ñaïi Bieåu
Coäng Ñoàng Vieät Nam Hoa Kyø ñaõ khoâng ñoàng yù caùch giaûi quyeát cuûa thaønh phoá Philadelphia
laø treo caû hai côø Vieät Nam Coäng Hoøa vaø côø CSVN doïc theo ñaïi loä Ben Franklin Parkway. Vì
vaäy, phieân hoïp cuoái seõ ñöôïc trieäu taäp vaøo ngaøy Thöù Ba , 20/7/2010 taïi City Hall vôùi söï tham
döï cuûa quí vò Chuû Tiïch caùc hoäi ñoaøn Vieät Nam cuõng nhö Hoäi Cöïu Chieán Binh Ñoàng Minh taïi
Philadelphia vaø phuï caän.. Tieán Só Nguyeãn Vaên Thaùi laø moät trong nhöõng ngöôøi Vieät Nam
laõnh ñaïo taïi Philadelphia ñaõ gôûi ñieän thö cho OÂng Maïc Hoàng Quang vôùi nhöõng ñoùng goùp yù
kieán nhö sau:
Philadelphia, July 16, 2010 - 9:05PM
Anh Quang thaân meán,
Xin toaøn theå quyù vò trong coäng ñoàng ngöôøi Vieät quoác gia taïi Philadelphia vaø phuï caän cho
pheùp chuùng toâi ñöôïc ñoùng goùp yù kieán vaøo cuoäc hoïp lieân heä ñeán vieäc treo côø ôû Parkway:
Nhaát thieát coäng ñoàng ngöôøi Vieät quoác gia taïi Phila phaûi nhaát trí tranh ñaáu cho baèng ñöôïc vieäc
treo côø vaøng ba soïc ñoû. Lí do laø :
It is absolutely necessary that the Vietnamese-American community in Philadelphia claim the
right to the yellow with three red stripes flag. The reasons for this decision are:
Côø vaøng ba soïc ñoû töôïng tröng cho quoác gia Vieät Nam töï do vaø daân chuû trong luùc
The yellow with three red stripes flag symbolizes the free and democratic Vietnamese nation
while
Laù côø ñoû sao vaøng chæ laø laù côø cuûa ñaûng CSVN chöù khoâng phaûi laù côø quoác gia. Noù töôïng
tröng cho ñoäc taøi, aùp böùc, ñaøn aùp nhaân quyeàn ñeán noåi hôn 3 trieäu ngöôøi ñaõ boû phieáu choáng
ñoái baèng caùch boû nöôùc ra ñi vaø caû trieäu ngöôøi ñaõ boû xaùc treân bieån caû hoaëc bò cöôùp bieån gieát
hay haõm hieáp. Haèng chuïc töôïng ñaøi kæ nieäm vöôït bieân ñaõ noùi leân toäi aùc cuûa CSVN.
The red flag with the yellow star is only the flag of the Vietnamese communist party and not
a national flag. It represents dictatorship, oppression of human rights to the extent that more
than 3 million Vietnamese people had voted by foot, leaving their beloved country, with
more than a million people perishing at sea, of whom many underwent atrocities such as
killing and rapes by sea pirates. Many monuments edified in countries around the world and
dedicated to the sufferings of tens of thousands of refugees lost at sea speak loudly about the
cruelties of the Vietnamese communist party.
Laù côø vaøng ba soïc ñoû coøn laø laù côø cuûa 3 trieäu ngöôøi Vieät yeâu töï do daân chuû treân toaøn theá giôùi
cuõng nhö cuûa 86 trieäu ngöôøi Vieät trong nöôùc ñang bò ñaøp aùp maø khoâng theå leân tieáng vì ñoäc
taøi toaøn trò, vaø nhaát laø
The yellow with three red stripes flag is the flag of the three million Vietnamese all over the
world who love freedom and democracy and of the silent 86 million Vietnamese people
under oppression in Vietnam who cannot afford to speak up because of totalitarianism, and
most significantly
Gaàn hai trieäu ngöôøi Vieät goác Myõ ñoùng thueá vaø boû phieáu nhaát quyeát khoâng coâng nhaän laù côø
ñoû sao vaøng cuûa ñaûng CSVN.
Approximately two million paying tax and voting Vietnamese-Americans decidedly and
unanimously DO NOT recognize the red flag with the yellow star of the Vietnamese
communist party.
Treo côø ñoû sao vaøng laø laøm nhuïc gaàn hai trieäu ngöôøi Myõ goác Vieät gheâ tôûm ñoäc taøi toaøn trò vaø
yeâu töï do ñeán ñoä phaûi boû nöôùc ra ñi. Trong soá hai trieäu ngöôøi Myõ goác Vieät ñoùng thueá vaø boû
phieáu naøy coù khoaûng 30,000 ngöôøi taïi Phila vaø phuï caän.
Hoisting the red flag is flagrantly an insult to the two million Vietnamese-Americans who
abhor totalitarianism to the extent that they had to leave their beloved country. Of those two
million Vietnamese-Americans, approximately 30,000 reside in Philadelphia and suburbs;
and they are paying tax and they vote.
Treo côø ñoû sao vaøng laø laøm nhuïc hôn 3 trieäu chieán só Hoa Kì ñaõ tham gia ñaáu tranh cho do
daân chuû taïi Vieät Nam maø hieän taïi hoï vaãn coøn mang theo beân mình laù côø vaøng ba soïc ñoû. Hoï
coù quyeàn ñöôïc traû laïi danh döï ñaõ bò laõng queân.
Hoisting the red flag is a slap in the face of more than 3 million American soldiers who fought
for democracy in Vietnam. They are carrying with them the yellow with three red stripes
wherever they go. These heroes have the right to have their long forgotten honor back.
Chuù thích:
Trong cuoäc vaän ñoäng, caùc hoäi cöïu quaân nhaân quaân löïc VNCH caàn môøi theâm caùc cöïu chieán
binh Hoa Kì.

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Vietnamese
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July 26, 2010

Honorable Michael Nutter
Mayor
City of Philadelphia

c/o : Mr. Anuj Gupta
Chief of Staff/Deputy Commissioner
Department of Licenses and Inspections
City of Philadelphia
(215) 686-2149
anuj.gupta@phila.gov

Dear Mr. Mayor :

We, the Vietnamese-American community in Philadelphia and suburbs, petition that the Vietnamese National Flag (yellow with three red stripes) and NOT the Vietnamese communist party's flag (red with the yellow star) be raised at the Franklin Parkway and at Penn's Landing.

The reasons for this specific petition are as follows:

1. The Vietnamese National Flag represents the internationally recognized legal, peace-loving, and democratic country of Vietnam; which the Vietnamese communist party, by violating the 1973 Paris Agreement, had illegally taken by force in 1975.

2. The current Vietnamese communist regime is imposed upon the Vietnamese people. It has NEVER been voted by the Vietnamese people. On the contrary, over 4 million Vietnamese had voted it out by foot . And it is estimated approximately an additional number equivalent to one-third to one-half of those 4 million perished at sea. This exodus and diaspora of Vietnamese people is eloquent evidence of the strongest protest against dictatorship and totalitarianism.

3. The fact that the City is willing to raise the Vietnamese National Flag demonstrates the courage and moral integrity to recognize that freedom and democracy are essential to human existence and should override mercantile interests. Raising the Vietnamese National Flag also gives back the honor due over 3 million American heroes who fought valiantly, and not in vain, for democracy in Vietnam.

4. Raising the Vietnamese communist flag is tacitly acknowledging that human trafficking (selling 5- to 8-year old children and young women as sex slaves); banning freedom of speech, freedom of the press; arresting and putting in jail without due process those people who dare to speak up peacefully for human rights; exploiting labor with unbearably low wages; and illegally confiscating land from Churches and peasants for commercial purposes are legally and morally right.

4. Over 35 cities and States in the United States of America have recognized these facts and have proudly approved of raising the Vietnamese National Flag as a token of upholding the basic and important American legal and moral principles: Freedom, Democracy, and Justice.

5. Diplomacy is under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government, not the States, let alone cities. We believe that it would be absolutely inappropriate for the Vietnamese Embassy to protest because when the US raised the issues of human rights, the Vietnamese communist party immediately accused the US of interfering in their internal affairs. How can the Embassy have the galls to interfere in the internal affairs of our politically independent City?

6. We, over 35,000 tax-paying and voting Vietnamese-Americans in Philadelphia and suburbs, would never believe that the City would bend against the sacrosanct, legal and moral principles upheld by all Americans and we would never feel that justice is done if the Vietnamese communist party's flag were raised anywhere in the city of Philadelphia.

Respectfully submitted.

Full name:
Organizations:
Title:
Email address:

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Petition Vietnamese

Tro ve dau trang

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