A new historical marker honoring immigrants from Vietnam was unveiled at the Eden Center in Falls Church, Virginia. (Courtesy Eddy, vice president of Eden Center) Vietnamese immigrants in Northern Virginia were honored Tuesday afternoon with a historical marker that now sits aside Eden Center in Falls Church. The plaque tells the story of many immigrants who fled a war-torn Vietnam in the 1970s. According to historians, a great many opened businesses in Arlington’s Clarendon neighborhood but, with rising rents, moved to the Eden Center in Falls Church during the 1980s. Eden Center would become home to many Vietnamese American owned stores and restaurants, and it would be a place where Southeast Asian culture can be shared and enjoyed by everyone who visits the mall.
“It’s a place that is really a cultural touch point,” said Falls Church Mayor David Tarter. “Not only for the Vietnamese community, but for all of Northern Virginia,” VIDEO: The unveiling ceremony for a new historical marker in Falls Church, Virginia, honoring Vietnamese immigrants in Northern Virginia. (Courtesy Phillips Nguyen)
To view this content referenced from Facebook, click here.
The historical marker only became a reality because of students at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School in Falls Church. In 2021, they nominated the site in the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Historical Marker contest and won. Those students, eighth grader Oliver Hardi and seventh grader Griffin Hardi, helped unveil the new sign on Tuesday afternoon.
From left, Falls Church Mayor David Tarter, middle school students Oliver Hardi and Griffin Hardi, Alan Frank, senior vice president of Eden Center and Trinh Mau-Nguyen, chairman of the Vietnamese Senior Citizens Association. A new historical marker honoring immigrants from Vietnam was unveiled at Eden Center in Falls Church, Virginia. (Courtesy Graham Eddy, vice president of Eden Center) Alan Frank, senior vice president of Eden Center, said being awarded the new marker is “very meaningful to the Falls Church community, the Eden Center, and most of all, the Vietnamese Americans who we honor today.” Trinh Mau-Nguyen, chairman of the Vietnamese Senior Citizens Association, said he is proud to see the sign go up. “Vietnamese Americans bring along a wealth of history and culture from Southeast Asia, especially accepting diversity, empathizing with the underprivileged,” said Trinh Mau-Nguyen said. According to the plaque, Eden Center became a regional gathering spot of Vietnamese Americans and was at one point the largest source of Vietnamese goods on the East Coast.
Trump announces a $22.5B makeover of Dulles airport that will eliminate the ‘people movers’
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a $22.5 billion renovation of Washington Dulles International Airport that will end the use of the widely disliked “people movers,” the mobile lounges that have been used for decades to shuttle travelers to and from the main terminal.
In place of the people movers, the airport will add a new U-shaped passenger train, a central walking tunnel, more moving walkways and new concourses. An above-ground parking garage closer to the main terminal with space for 32,000 vehicles is also in the offing, according to Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
The airport makeover would add to a long list of renovation projects the Republican president is pursuing to leave a lasting mark on the Washington region after his term ends in January 2029. Among other undertakings, he is building a new White House ballroom and wants to build a towering triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial.
But of all the construction projects Trump is pursuing, the renovations at Dulles could prove to be his most popular and benefit the greatest number of people. The airport, the area’s primary international airport, served roughly 29 million passengers over the past year, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
