Rep. Daniel Nguyen, D-Lake Oswego, is in his second term on the Legislature. (Submitted by Office of Rep. Daniel Nguyễn)

As he recently explained to colleagues at the state Legislature, Rep. Daniel Nguyen, D-Lake Oswego, is the son of Vietnamese refugees and his father was a lieutenant in the South Vietnamese Army before the fall of Saigon in 1975.

“He left behind the country he loved and the uniform he wore with pride. He fled not because he gave up, but because he believed his family deserved the chance to live free,” Nguyen said on the floor of the Oregon House of Representatives April 30.

Nguyen’s family moved to America 50 years ago, along with many thousands of Vietnamese who fled their home country to start a new life in the United States. He hopes to commemorate this moment in history, as well as the legacy and memory of soldiers who fought for freedom in the Vietnam War and the contributions the Vietnamese community has made in America.

“We are a community shaped by loss, but defined by resilience and also by our deep gratitude to this nation for opening its doors when we had nowhere else to go,” Nguyen said.

The Lake Oswego resident’s bill to designate April 30, 2025 as Vietnamese American Remembrance Day passed in the Oregon House of Representatives and is now in the Senate. Nguyen recalled the clock in the shape of Vietnam that his father put in the center of their homes growing up.

“May this resolution be like a clock in the center of our house to mark our history and to celebrate the enduring contributions of Vietnamese Americans through the strength, diversity and spirit of our country,” he said.