Little Saigon & Mendez Heritage Walks
Two short, flat, self-guided walks — the heart of Little Saigon on Bolsa Avenue, and the Mendez Freedom Trail that marks a landmark school-desegregation case.
Westminster wears its history in plain sight, if you know where to look. Two short, flat, free walks: the living heart of Little Saigon along Bolsa Avenue, and the Hoover Street trail that marks Mendez v. Westminster — the case that helped end school segregation in California eight years before Brown v. Board. Both are best done on foot.
Two places of memory, a short drive away
The Vietnam War Memorial — two larger-than-life bronze soldiers, a South Vietnamese and an American, flanking an eternal flame — stands at Sid Goldstein Freedom Park, 14180 All American Way; it is where the city holds its Black April (Tháng Tư Đen) remembrance each April 30. The Vietnamese Boat People Monument (2009), 54 stone blocks carved with the names of more than 6,000 who died at sea, stands in the Asian Garden of Peaceful Eternity at Westminster Memorial Park — a working cemetery, so visit quietly.
Before you set out
- These are working streets, not a museum
- The shops, restaurants, and newspaper offices on these walks are open businesses serving the neighborhood. Browse, eat, and read freely, but ask before photographing people or inside stalls.