Little Saigon Radio Allies With New Vietnamese Newspaper
Westminster-based Little Saigon Radio, a fixture in the Vietnamese community, is backing a new English-Vietnamese newspaper called Viet Tide.
The weekly, tabloid-sized paper launched its first issue on July 20,the ninth anniversary of its affiliate, Little Saigon Radio, and the day Vietnam was divided into North and South 47 years ago. Viet Tide is published each Friday.
Hieu Tran Phan, English editor at Viet Tide, said the paper’s publisher, Ninh Quang Vu, is CEO of Little Saigon Radio, which broadcasts in Southern California, San Jose and Houston. The newspaper and radio station also have some common investors, and they share several editors. But he said the two businesses are financially independent.
“The two corporations have and will continue to cross-promote each other,” Phan said.
Viet Tide, headquartered in a 3,000-square-foot office in Westminster, has about 15 employees and “definite plans to expand in the future,” according to Phan. The staff consists of people of diverse backgrounds, including a past political prisoner, novelists, a pioneering refugee publisher and Phan, a former reporter and columnist at the Orange County Register.
The newspaper, which will start at 96 pages, is printed at the Orange County Register’s Anaheim facility. Circulation ranges from 15,000 to 20,000 copies and it carries a cover price of 50 cents.
“We also aim to launch separate editions in other Vietnamese hubs around the United States,” Phan said.
Viet Tide, which offers long-distance subscriptions worldwide, is distributed in Southern California through a variety of channels: strategically located racks, home newspaper delivery personnel, Asian supermarkets and businesses that advertise in the paper. Those that have already signed on include Vietnamese businesses and mainstream companies such as Sears, Hollytron, Charles Schwab, AT & T; and Monterey Park College.
Phan said Viet Tide fills a need in the market.
“Vietnamese Americans have never had a full-fledged, truly bilingual newspaper,” Phan said. “After 25 years of immigration and cultural assimilation, this ethnic community has diversified and matured enough to welcome a new concept like Viet Tide.”
The newspaper is targeting general-interest readers of varying genders, generations and educational backgrounds, according to Phan. Coverage ranges from politics to fashion, cooking to sports.
To complement newsprint coverage, Phan said, Viet Tide will hold community events year-round, including a monthly book club, social nights and toy giveaways during the holiday season.
“We want to see feedback and editorial submissions from everyone who has an interest in Vietnamese topics, regardless of their ethnicity,” Phan said. “Viet Tide is not a culturally isolated publication.”
Rather, Phan said “we envision ourselves as a bridge between our homeland and our new land.” n
