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Vietnamese Community In City Heights Gets Little Saigon Sign Off Interstate 15

A "Little Saigon" sign to be put on Interstate 15 is unveiled in City Heights, Feb. 1, 2019.
Matt Hoffman
A "Little Saigon" sign to be put on Interstate 15 is unveiled in City Heights, Feb. 1, 2019.

In City Heights, a Vietnamese community is pushing for more branding.

"People hear about Little Saigon but they don’t know exactly where it is," said Su Nguyen, who is co-founder of the Little Saigon Foundation. "Where to get a bowl of pho that’s the best — Little Saigon district."

Friday, state and city leaders unveiled a new sign that will help guide people to the Vietnamese community.

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Vietnamese Community Gets Little Saigon Sign Off Interstate 15

"We let the people know that, 'Hey, you know, now it is your district,'" Nguyen said. "It’s about ownership."

RELATED: Little Saigon To Get Cultural Landmark Sign On I-15 Freeway

Markets and restaurants are just some of the offerings along the six-block region on El Cajon Boulevard.

"There are three parts of Vietnam," Nguyen said. "The central, the south and the north — so the food is a little bit different. If you come here, you can enjoy three regions of Vietnam food."

RELATED: How The Fall Of Saigon Made San Diego A Refugee Hub

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Soon the sign will be up along Interstate 15, which could help direct people to cultural district that is still growing.

"Basically it’s very vibrant — but we need to work a little bit harder, in terms of making the street a little nicer, the sidewalk has to be walkable and more branding, more work to be done," Nguyen said. "The sign is just the beginning."

Vietnamese Community In City Heights Gets Little Saigon Sign Off Interstate 15
Soon it will be even easier for people to find the Little Saigon Cultural and Commercial District. You can hear this story and other local news every morning by subscribing to San Diego Stories, KPBS’ daily news podcast. Subscribe via iTunes, Google Play or your favorite podcatcher.