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Three honorary “Saigon Blvd.” signs were unveiled at Eden Center on Jan. 22, marking a long-sought public tribute to Northern Virginia’s Vietnamese American community.

Community members gathered in 14-degree weather for the ceremony, held 50 years after the fall of Saigon and one week before the Tet Lunar New Year of the Snake. The event brought together Viet Place Collective organizers and federal, state, Fairfax County and Falls Church officials.

The bilingual, community-designed signs were installed along the 6600 and 6700 blocks of Wilson Boulevard. Locations include Eden Center’s Lion’s Gate entrance, the Wilson and Roosevelt boulevards intersection, and the entrance to Wilson Plaza across the street.

The designation does not replace the road’s official name. Instead, it renews an honorary “Saigon Blvd.” designation established in 2006 while carrying out a recommendation from the East End Small Area Plan adopted on June 26, 2023.

The signs feature design elements inspired by the former South Vietnamese flag and Saigon’s Ben Thanh Market. They give the honorary name equal visual prominence alongside the Virginia Department of Transportation street name.

Years of advocacy produce a visible result

Viet Place Collective began advocating for the signs during discussions surrounding the East End plan. The group said the designation would recognize the Vietnamese community’s history, strengthen its visibility and formally identify Eden Center as a place of cultural significance.

Falls Church Mayor Letty Hardi thanked the organization and Eden Center for helping turn the plan into action.

“Policies and values are only as good as the actions that follow them,” Hardi said, noting that the City Council had unanimously adopted the East End plan about 18 months earlier.

Hardi called the timing especially meaningful because 2025 marks 50 years since the fall of Saigon, a somber anniversary for many Vietnamese families. She said the signs reaffirm Falls Church’s commitment to the history and cultural diversity of Eden Center and the wider region.

For Hardi, the ceremony also carried personal significance. A first-generation immigrant, she began visiting Eden Center after moving to Northern Virginia as a teenager and has continued eating at some of the same restaurants for three decades.

Eden Center Vice President Graham Eddy thanked the government officials, advocates and community members involved in the initiative. He described the shopping center as a home for the region’s Vietnamese community and said its identity should endure.

A gift honoring sacrifices across generations

Viet Place Collective organizers dedicated the honorary naming to Vietnamese elders who escaped war and displacement, rebuilt their lives in the United States and helped establish the community that thrives around Eden Center today.

One organizer said the effort began two years earlier during work on the East End plan. Naming part of Wilson Boulevard for Saigon offered a way to commemorate the community’s history and highlight the importance of a place filled with shared memories.

Core organizer Binh Ly said the signs demonstrate that Vietnamese Americans are invested in Falls Church, Fairfax County and the region.

“This honorary naming is a gift to our parents, to our elders,” Ly said. “They’ve overcome war and displacement, and we’re here and thriving today because of them.”

Ly also expressed hope that Falls Church would add a Vietnamese-speaking staff member who could connect city programs and resources with local small businesses and older residents.

After the ceremony, he called the signs the first tangible outcome of two years of advocacy and said the group has more projects planned. Ly noted that his own parents had to rebuild their lives from scratch after arriving in the United States in their 40s.

Regional leaders recognize Eden Center’s reach

The project required cooperation across jurisdictional lines. Eden Center sits in the City of Falls Church, while Wilson Plaza and the eastern stretch of Wilson Boulevard are in Fairfax County.

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeffrey McKay said that collaboration was necessary because Eden Center serves people throughout the Washington metropolitan area. He praised immigrants for preserving cultural traditions while strengthening the region’s economy and communities.

McKay also recognized the younger Viet Place Collective members who helped carry their elders’ legacy into the future.

McKay and Supervisor Andres Jimenez read a Fairfax County resolution honoring the Vietnamese American community. The measure credited Vietnamese Americans with creating vibrant neighborhoods and businesses while contributing to Fairfax County’s cultural diversity.

Other attendees included Falls Church City Council members Erin Flynn Underhill, Justine Underhill? Downs, Marybeth Connelly and David Snyder; Fairfax County officials; and representatives from the offices of U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, Reps. Gerry Connolly and Don Beyer, and Virginia Dels. Saddam Salim, Marcus Simon and Kathy Tran.

A lion dance closed the formal program before the crowd counted down to the unveiling at Lion’s Gate. Eden Center’s Tet ceremony and celebrations were scheduled for Jan. 29.

City Council member Marybeth Connelly said Viet Place Collective had pushed officials to move beyond planning documents and deliver a visible result. She was especially struck by the pride shown by parents and grandparents as younger organizers honored their heritage.

For Ly, the turnout offered its own message: despite the bitter cold, the community arrived to see “Saigon Blvd.” become part of the landscape.