By Tam Nguyen, Nguoi Viet
The Vietnamese community has said goodbye to radio personality and human rights activist Viet Dzung, but he will not be forgotten.
Viet Dzung. (Photo: Dan Huynh / Nguoi Viet)
Dzung, who was laid to rest at Good Shepherd Cemetery in Huntington Beach, Calif., before a crowd of approximately 2,000 community members, will be remembered as both a singer and freedom fighter. His signature song, “Chút Quà cho Quê Huong,” is considered by many as the “unofficial anthem, as Orange County First District Supervisor Janet Nguyen called it, of the Vietnamese community and the refugees who fled their country by boat.
That burial followed a Dec. 27 tribute for Dzung at the SBTN building, where hundreds of fans, friends and family members came to remember Dzung and show their support. Television screens and an altar for the community to say goodbye were set up outside for the overflow crowd.
View of memorial of Vietnamese musician Viet Dzung, in front of SBTN station. (Photo: Dan Huynh / Nguoi Viet)
Dzung passed away last month at age 55 of heart disease.
Dzung started his singing career in Vietnam before escaping the communists and fleeing to the United States in 1975. He continued to write songs while studying in Nebraska. In the years since, he became a presence on the radio airwaves. He hosted several radio shows on Radio Bolsa, an Orange County network listened to by Vietnamese Americans throughout the nation.
Dzung also became well known for his part in fighting for freedom for the Vietnamese community and using his influence to help assimilate them into their new culture. In politics, Dzung helped the Vietnamese community to register to vote as part of the 1999 “Rock the Vote” campaign.
“He encouraged over 10,000 voters to register,” said former Westminster city councilman, Tyler Diep.
