The Vietnam War Memorial is located in Sid Goldstein Freedom Park, near the Westminster Public Library and across the street from the Westminster PD. It features statues of an American and a South Vietnamese soldier, honoring those who fought and died in the war, and commemorates the fall of Saigon. It also features a bronze urn with an eternal flame. Black April is celebrated by Vietnamese people on April 30th every year in remembrance of the Fall of Saigon and honoring the lives lost. The memorial was dedicated in 2003. Yelp Review #17- 2026 read more

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It was a bit underwhelming. I thought it would be a bit more impressive, have more to say, have statistics, a recap or something other than a statue, flags, some water to memorialize the carnage suffered by both sides of this tragic war. Westminster is a city I grew up in during the Viet Nam war and I am happy to say that the refugees that came to America in the late 70s that settled in Westminster have made a remarkable life for themselves and revitalized this city. Congrats and thank you to this hard working, loyal and patriotic community for building a vibrant business section in Westminster and Garden Grove. read more

Vietnam War Memorial - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Westminster, California

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10 ChargePoint EV charging station across the street from the monument on the 2nd floor of the parking lot structure. read more

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Nostalgia, grief, and appreciation washes over me as an American-born daughter of 2 refugees from the Vietnam war. This place makes me feel closer to a homeland I've never laid eyes or feet on. read more

Vietnam War Memorial - My dad explaining the geography of Vietnam's parcels to me - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Westminster, California

As I always do during our visits to these war memorials, I cried. The Vietnam War Memorial is located Sid Goldstein Freedom Park, next to the Westminster Civic Center. Westminster, California is also known as Little Saigon because of the many Vietnamese refugees who immigrated legally to the city during the 1980s following the official end of the Viet Nam war, started for America in 1954 by a Republican President and Republican Congress, ending in 1975. President Ford stated, "[T]o ignore the refugees in their hour of need would be to repudiate the values we cherish as a nation of immigrants." To pave the way for the Vietnamese refugees' arrival, President Gerald Ford, Republican, gathered a coalition of church groups, southern Democratic governors, labor leaders, the American Jewish Congress, and Red Cross to secure housing and jobs for the Vietnamese immigrants. Several airlifts were organized to bring Vietnamese refugees and asylum-seekers to the U.S. Close to 120,000 were rescued and relocated following the war. Many Viet Nam war Veterans wished then and even today, that their government and people had given them the same courtesy and help. Viet Nam war Veterans were not to even get a, "Welcome Home" until four decades later. Not everyone who lost their life in Viet Nam died there. During those four decades of neglect and disrespect, more Viet Nam Veterans succumbed to suicide, some 200,000, than had been killed in Viet Nam. The U.S. military has estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese GIs died in the war. Some 59,000 American GIs, Red Cross volunteers and other Americans died directly or went missing in the war as did South Korea suffered more than 4,000 dead, Thailand about 350, Australia more than 500, New Zealand some three dozen, and Canada some 100 dead. Somewhere between four and five million Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian peasants died during the Viet Nam war. Hundreds of thousands more were maimed, mutilated, torn, burned, punctured, tortured, poisoned, or disappeared. America dropped more tons of explosives on Viet Nam, an impoverished agricultural country the size of New Mexico, than were used in all of World War II. Napalm was widely used to destroy villages and their inhabitants in huge balls of flaming jellied designed to stick-to-you gasoline. Agent Orange and other defoliant chemicals poisoned thousands of acres of fertile farmland, even as they caused birth defects and cancers among the Vietnamese peasants and the Americans who handled it. The result was the South Vietnamese were as anxious as the GIs to permanently leave Viet Nam. Vietnamese settled largely in Little Saigon, so the city became known as the "capital" of overseas Vietnamese with 36,058 Vietnamese Americans and at 40.2% as of 2010, the highest municipal prevalence of Vietnamese Americans. In 2012, nationwide in America, the Vietnamese were the sixth largest foreign-born population in the United States. Forty percent of the America's nearly 1.3 million Vietnamese immigrants reside in California; concentrated in Orange, Los Angeles and Santa Clara counties. Near the end of the Viet Nam war, people in South Vietnam began to flee due to the withdrawal of America from Viet Nam. The first to flee Viet Nam were high-ranking people who were associated with the military or South Vietnamese government. They fled in military airplanes or military ships. On their heels fled the poorer, those came to be known as Vietnam Boat People. A majority of them were rescued and resettled into developing countries, mostly into the United States. What sets this Viet Nam war memorial apart from others is that the Vietnam War Memorial is for American and South Vietnamese GIs and American and South Vietnamese civilians who lost their life in Viet Nam. It features two bronze 15 foot high statues of GIs, one a South Vietnamese GI and the other an American GI, standing together atop a black marble base arranged in a semi circle. The flags of the United States of America and the Republic of South Vietnam are flying behind the GIs. Names of Fallen are etched. Beautiful memorial. Very well maintained, even pristine. It appears that flowers of love and respect are left there everyday. I could only stand there and silently cry as this memorial is so powerful. May the sacrifices of the Fallen always be remembered and respected for the ones Honored here, military and civilian, for they gave their tomorrows for our today. Here is Hallowed, Sacred and Desecrated ground. That means never is yelling done here and no playing or games are to be played here. That includes pokeman players. read more

In response to a competition invitation while at Yale University, Maya Lin's creation of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. was one of her earliest works as an architect. Her initial idea was to represent the pain of war. Thus, the Earth is pierced in Maya Lin's design to represent the pain suffered by the dead and those left behind. The black marble was meant as a reflection opportunity for the living. The memorial later dedicated in Westminster mirrors with Maya Lin's original design. It also incorporates her Civil Rights Memorial with its circular design. The Vietnam War Memorial in Westminster, California--unveiled on April 27, 2003--contains black marble similar to the one in Washington, D.C. It does not, however, contain names of fallen soldiers on the black marble. It includes influences from Maya Lin's Civil Rights Memorial such as the running water in the center in addition to the waterfall incorporated into the black marble. In the center of the memorial is also a huge censer that is reflective of an Asian tradition to honor the dead. It is customary to worship ancestors in the Asian culture by burning incense in a censer. The Vietnam Memorial in Westminster attempts to capture Maya Lin's original design while integrating the culture of the Vietnamese community it attempts to honor. read more

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Imagine my surprise when I hear that Orange County CA has its own Vietnam War Memorial. As a long-time DC Metro resident, I'd always thought DC is the only home of the Vietnam Memorial. Well, it turns out there's a subtle naming difference: Westminster's version is called the Vietnam War Memorial, whereas the national monument in DC is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Who knew? The difference in their history, architecture, and impact are pretty significant on the other hand. Whereas the design and construction of the DC monument was rife with controversy and the memorial wall itself consists of two somber granite walls with inscribed names that pack an emotional wallop no matter how many times I've visited it, the OC version was designed and built in a straightforward manner by a local Vietnamese sculptor and is located in a sunny cheery park surrounded by flowers. If you're ever in the area and find yourself in need of killing an hour or so that's not eating-related, as one so often finds oneself doing in bountiful Little Saigon, this is an interesting place to visit to get a little history on the VN war. read more

Vietnam War Memorial - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Westminster, California

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was there yesterday morning for the first time. While the small park and the monument are nice, DON'T LOOK UP!!!!!!!!!!!! The US and POW flags are faded out and actually have holes and the US flag even has tatters. Pretty pathetic Westminster, but seems pretty appropriate for today's government. So maybe it's just me. read more

Dedicated in 2003, this Vietnam War Memorial is small but great - an American and Vietnamese soldiers. It's cool; I love it. The only memorial in OC? There's a cascading waterfall fountain, a children's playground, rose bushes, benches and a restrooms.. It's a peaceful place to just sit and reflect. Westminster police dept., city hall, library, senior complex, community building surrounds the area... read more

Grateful to this nation. Grateful to the American and South Vietnamese soldiers who sacrificed for our fight for freedom. Grateful to the city of Westminster for creating a beautiful homage to these heroes. The statues are breathtaking and the peaceful quiet is accompanied by the warmth of the ever burning fire. Looking at past reviews, it looks as if this monument once had a water feature alongside the marble, but it does not look as if it runs anymore. I met a Vietnam vet there today who states there are monthly meetings every 1st Sunday at this location from 12-1 for soldiers of the war and supporters to spend time to connect and share stories. I cannot wait to go back. read more

Vietnam War Memorial - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Westminster, California

Very small, but awesome little landmark in Westminster! It's right by the Police Station and City Hall and you can't miss the two huge statues. There's benches and a small playground-good place to just sit, eat lunch, and have your kiddos play. read more

I really enjoyed this memorial. It was well designed, and was particularly impressed by the scupture of the two soldiers dressed in full battle gear. Very life like. It is a very relaxing setting, there is an eternal flame, and it generally has a very asian feel. The thing that stuck out to me is that it really makes you think about the partnership that occurred between the American's and the Southern Vietnamese. In my opinion its hard to tell whether the two soldiers are Americans or South Vietnamese. And maybe that was the intent. read more

Let's be honest here. The Vietnam War Memorial is one of the most emotional memorial sites on location. The Vietnamese population here is big and I am from the South but truly I want to take the time to think of all of my grandfather's friends. They were either Vietnamese Navels, Lieutenants, Commanders and more. Each year, they would go here and honor the Fall of Saigon on April 30. I am about to get emotional writing this Yelp Review that I can not rate it right now. Please spread this around and reply back. Thank you. read more

Small oasis nestled on the same street housing the official Westminster buildings: city hall, police station, courthouse, community college, and library. A beautifully sculptured monument with fountain and eternal flame stands in the center of a grassy park with blooming rose bushes, bench-lined walkways, 3 picnic tables, a small playground, and public restrooms. Nice place to bring the kids for a picnic lunch. Quiet and secluded on a Saturday afternoon. read more

this place is very small but it is very relaxing :P i come here to study before class its very peaceful. read more

Vietnam War Memorial - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Westminster, California