A fledgling MTV-style series aimed at young Vietnamese Americans will return to screens two weeks after it was canceled because viewers complained about Ho Chi Minh's photo being used in a segment about the 1999 anti-communist protest in Little Saigon.
The 30-minute English-language cable-television series -- seen in Vietnamese communities from Orange County to San Jose -- was pulled after its Oct. 9 episode.
Ever since a Little Saigon shopkeeper sparked a 53-day protest in 1999 by displaying a picture of the late North Vietnamese leader in his store, there has been a backlash in the community to anything associated with communism.
A planned visit by Vietnamese dignitaries, for example, was canceled earlier this year in the face of protests, and the former prime minister of South Vietnam was sharply criticized in February when he decided to return to Vietnam as a tourist. Many merchants in the community continue to display the flag of the former South Vietnam.
Against that backdrop, the decision to bring back the weekly series marks a rare reversal in this anti-communist community.
"Vietnamese American Xposure," which features youth lifestyles, a talent showcase and cultural diversity, was scrubbed after its second episode was broadcast. Saigon TV officials said they received viewers' complaints about images of Ho and the Vietnamese flag. The footage, shot by CNN and KABC-TV Channel 7, was part of a "Saigon USA" documentary by Lindsey Jang and Robert C. Winn.
The series leased broadcast time from Saigon TV, a Westminster-based studio that in turn leases blocks of time from KXLA-TV Channel 44, a Rancho Palos Verdes-based station that broadcasts throughout the state.
Outraged viewers also protested outside Saigon TV's studios in Little Saigon, a Vietnamese commercial and cultural hub that stretches from Westminster to Garden Grove. It is the largest Vietnamese community outside Vietnam.
"It was a difficult decision," said Susan Tran, marketing director for Saigon TV. "We don't believe that these images were meant to elicit communism or support communism, but they did have a negative effect."
Many Vietnamese fled after the Communists took South Vietnam in 1975. Many refugees spent weeks at sea in rickety boats, waiting to be rescued. Others said they were beaten, starved and tortured while imprisoned in "reeducation camps." Families were separated, some for decades.
