Viet Writer Still in Critical Condition After Attack

Novelist Long Vu, well known in the Vietnamese community, remained in critical condition Wednesday, several days after he was attacked by a group of men as he left a Garden Grove restaurant.

Vu, 54, of Westminster, whose books and satirical columns brought fame and enemies, according to several sources in the Vietnamese community, was jumped as he and two friends walked to a car after breakfast Saturday, Garden Grove Police Lt. Stuart Finkelstein said.

Finkelstein said that about 100 people had gathered for an anti-Communist demonstration at the Bolsa Mini Mall on the 13th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.

“The demonstration was ending when Mr. Vu left the restaurant and starting walking to his car with two friends. Suddenly, three or four individuals walked up and started punching Mr. Vu. He fell to the ground and, as he did so, others yelled (to the attackers) ‘Why are you hitting him?’ ” Finkelstein said.

Witnesses told police that Vu was punched in the face and head repeatedly. The attackers, described as Vietnamese, fled on foot.

He was reported in critical but stable condition at Humana Hospital in Westminster, where security around him has been tightened. Police have no suspects.

Vietnamese community leaders condemned the incident as yet another violent act against a Vietnamese writer. Last August, Tap Van Pham, who owned Mai magazine, a Vietnamese-language entertainment publication, was killed when his Garden Grove office was set on fire. Pham was sleeping in the office at the time.

“It’s another case of physical violence against a writer. The date, the place all showed it was a well-organized incident to send out some kind of message,” said one community leader, who did not wish to be identified.

Vu wrote novels under the pen name of Duyen Anh and satirical columns under the name of Thuong Sinh.

“His second pen name of Thuong Sinh was used to attack a lot of people in Vietnam, including government and businessmen,” said Yen Do, editor of the Westminster-based Nguoi Viet newspaper.

Vu wrote about 30 books in Vietnam, focusing mainly on Vietnamese youth, especially juvenile delinquents and gangs, Do said. He encouraged gang members to change their life styles and often was viewed as a “moralist” writer, Do added.

After the fall of Saigon, Vu was imprisoned in a re-education camp. During his imprisonment, Vietnamese refugees immigrating to the United States brought rumors that the writer had begun working on behalf of the Communists.

Despite Vu’s denials, Do said, the rumors spread and prompted Vu to create a new and different image as a serious, “strong, anti-Communist writer” after he left Vietnam and lived with his wife in Paris.

There, he wrote a book roughly titled, “A Russian in Saigon,” about a Russian KGB agent, which depicted weaknesses in the Russian influence in Saigon.

Vu’s latest book, “Nha Tu,” or “The Prison,” which was published last year, details his ill treatment in prison.

Do and other Vietnamese writers said Vu’s satirical columns which were circulated internationally and published in newspapers and magazines in Vietnamese exile communities made him “well-known but to some not well-liked.”