SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose, Calif., City Council voted 11-0 to reverse its ruling to designate part of the city's Story Road the "Saigon Business District."
The council hoped its reversal would end ongoing controversy regarding the district's name, which begun in November 2007 when it decided on "Saigon Business District," the San Jose Mercury News reported.
More than 1,000 people, many of which spilled into an overflow room and surrounding areas, were present for the Tuesday vote at the San Jose City Hall.
The council heard hours of testimony from Vietnamese-Americans protesting the November name choice and instead supporting the name "Little Vietnam" for the one-mile stretch of Story Road.
For many Vietnamese community members, "Little Saigon" represents a strong emotional link to the former South Vietnam capital before the communist takeover in 1975, the newspaper said.
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