Work on Viet Heritage Garden monument moves forward

After years of discussion, a proposal to build a monument to American and Vietnamese soldiers in Kelley Park is moving forward.

On Tuesday, the San Jose City Council is expected to approve a plan to apply for a grant from Santa Clara County to build the monument at the Viet Heritage Garden.

“It’s exciting,” said Councilwoman Maya Esparza, who represents the area. “We’re really serious about this.”

In a memo to the council, acting director of the city’s parks department Jon Cicirelli acknowledged that the project has been discussed but never developed for years.

“There has been a long-standing desire from many in the local Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American community to have a ‘Thank You America’ Monument as a display of gratitude for being welcomed by the United States as refugees,” Cicirelli wrote, “and for the American service members who fought in support of the Republic of Vietnam.”

With approximately 107,000 residents of Vietnamese descent, San Jose is home to the largest Vietnamese population of any city outside Vietnam, with a vibrant Little Saigon and the nation’s first Vietnamese museum.

The design is not yet finalized. An initial design years ago from Thuyen Nguyenphuc of Charrette Design features a life-size statue of two armed soldiers — one American and one South Vietnamese — in honor of those who “risked or lost their lives in the cause of freedom, democracy and human rights,” Cicirelli said.

Esparza said residents indicated at a community meeting earlier this year that they wanted to keep the concept of two figures. But the city plans to put out a new call for submissions and invite the community to be involved in the selection process before the project breaks ground.

After so many years of talking about but never realizing the monument, she said, she wants to make sure the process is transparent and inclusive.

Esparza also wants artists to think big. A personal favorite, she said, is the Korean War Veterans Memorial near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Originally, advocates for the piece envisioned it sitting at the county offices on W. Hedding Street. But that plan was scrapped amid concerns about it being an inappropriate place for a war memorial. More recently, community members suggested placing the monument at the Viet Heritage Gardens, which are meant to honor the deep traditions of San Jose’s Vietnamese community, instead.

Esparza, who worked with veterans before joining the City Council, said that idea has been overwhelmingly supported by constituents. The location, she thinks, will not only be a fitting place for such a monument, but it will help revitalize the gardens. And as veterans of the Vietnam War age, she said, there is mounting pressure to honor them soon. If the city wins the grant, the project would need to be completed within three years of getting the money.

The city is hoping the grant, which would come from a grant program created in 2018 to celebrate the stories of underrepresented communities in the county, will cover some $210,000 of the cost of designing, building, installing and maintaining the monument. The remaining $64,000 or so would need to come from District 7 funds.

“I want something the community can be really proud of,” Esparza said. “The community has really been trying to make it happen for a very long time.”