The Little Saigon News
A Vietnamese American newspaper founded in Orange County, California, that developed from a weekly tabloid into a daily publication before a 2015 bankruptcy and litigation-related takeover.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The Little Saigon News, known in Vietnamese as Sàigòn Nhỏ, was a Vietnamese-language American newspaper serving Vietnamese immigrant and Vietnamese American communities in the United States. It was established in Westminster, California, in 1985 by Hoàng Dược Thảo, also known as Brigitte Huynh. The publication took its name from Little Saigon, the Vietnamese American cultural and commercial area in Orange County, and its identity was closely tied to the political, social, and community life of that region. The newspaper began as a weekly tabloid. Its founding was associated with Thảo’s opposition to Vietnam’s Communist government and with a broader exile-community aspiration that the Vietnamese government would eventually collapse. This political orientation helped distinguish the publication within the Vietnamese American press, where newspapers frequently served not only as news outlets but also as forums for debates about the Vietnamese diaspora, anti-communism, local elections, immigration, community institutions, and relations between Vietnamese American groups. By the late 2000s, The Little Saigon News had expanded beyond its original weekly format and began publishing a daily newspaper alongside its magazine-oriented or weekly operations. In 2009, the Los Angeles Times identified it as one of the five Vietnamese-language daily newspapers in the United States. The publication’s claimed reach extended beyond Southern California: it reported circulation of approximately 70,000 across 31 American cities, including Seattle and Washington, D.C. In some Vietnamese American communities outside California, it was described as an important or even the only locally available Vietnamese-language media source. Political commentators also regarded it as influential in Orange County Vietnamese politics. Its prominence was accompanied by intense rivalry within the Vietnamese American newspaper market. In July 2012, an article written by Thảo accused the competing Nguoi Viet Daily News of functioning as a communist front. Nguoi Viet sued for defamation, and in December 2014 an Orange County Superior Court jury awarded the rival publisher $4.5 million. The court affirmed the verdict in March 2015. On April 13, 2015, The Little Saigon News sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. As part of the resolution of the libel dispute, a judge authorized Nguoi Viet Daily News to take over the competing publication. The available historical record describes the newspaper as having 19 local employees and additional freelancers in 2015. It reported $3 million in revenue for 2014, although that figure belongs to the period immediately preceding the bankruptcy filing and should not be treated as a current financial measure. Following the bankruptcy and court-approved takeover, the brand no longer appears to have operated as an independent newspaper. The Little Saigon News is therefore best understood as a historically significant Vietnamese American newspaper brand whose importance came from its national community reach, its role in Orange County’s Vietnamese political culture, and its participation in the highly competitive Vietnamese-language press.
History
The Little Saigon News was founded in Westminster, California, in 1985 by Hoàng Dược Thảo, who was also known as Brigitte Huynh. Its name reflected the Vietnamese American enclave of Little Saigon in Orange County, an area that had become a major center of Vietnamese refugee settlement, commerce, cultural activity, and political organizing after the Vietnam War. The newspaper began as a weekly tabloid serving Vietnamese American readers. From its beginning, the publication had a political and diasporic identity. Thảo associated its creation with her wish to see Vietnam’s Communist government collapse, a position that resonated with anti-communist elements of the Vietnamese refugee community. Like other ethnic community newspapers, The Little Saigon News served several functions at once: it reported local and national news, provided a Vietnamese-language forum for political arguments, carried community announcements, and sold advertising to businesses seeking access to Vietnamese American consumers. The publication grew during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries as Vietnamese American communities expanded beyond Southern California. In the late 2000s, it added a daily newspaper to its weekly publication and magazine activities. By 2009, the Los Angeles Times counted it among the five Vietnamese-language daily newspapers in the United States. The organization later claimed circulation of 70,000 in 31 cities, including markets as distant from Orange County as Seattle and Washington, D.C. Its geographic reach gave it a role in connecting Vietnamese-speaking readers across the United States, while its Orange County base kept it closely connected to the politics and institutions of Little Saigon. The newspaper was regarded by some observers as an important authority on political matters affecting Vietnamese communities in Orange County. Its reach was especially notable in places where Vietnamese-language media options were limited. At the same time, the Vietnamese American newspaper sector was competitive and politically charged. Rival publications competed for readers, advertisers, and influence over debates involving the Vietnamese government, diaspora identity, and local community leadership. That rivalry produced the crisis that ended The Little Saigon News as an independent publication. In July 2012, an article written by Thảo accused Nguoi Viet Daily News, another prominent Vietnamese-language newspaper, of being a communist front. Nguoi Viet brought a defamation action. In December 2014, an Orange County Superior Court jury awarded Nguoi Viet $4.5 million. The court affirmed the jury’s ruling in March 2015. On April 13, 2015, The Little Saigon News filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The bankruptcy followed the major defamation judgment and placed the publication’s future under court supervision. To settle the libel dispute, a judge authorized Nguoi Viet Daily News to take over its competitor. This transaction ended the newspaper’s independent corporate and editorial position, although the historical record does not establish the precise later treatment of the name, archives, or publication assets. In 2015, the organization was reported to have 19 local employees and additional freelancers. It also reported $3 million in revenue for 2014. Those figures describe the business shortly before the bankruptcy filing and are not evidence of continuing operations. The available record supports treating The Little Saigon News as a defunct or absorbed newspaper brand rather than an active independent publisher. Its historical significance lies in its role as a nationally distributed Vietnamese American newspaper, its influence in Orange County political discourse, and the legal and financial dispute that led to its takeover by a principal rival.
- 2015
Bankruptcy filing and court-approved takeover
[1]The publication entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and Nguoi Viet Daily News was authorized to take over the competitor as part of the libel settlement.
- 2014
Jury issues $4.5 million defamation verdict
[1]An Orange County Superior Court jury awarded Nguoi Viet Daily News $4.5 million in its defamation case against The Little Saigon News.
- 2012
Defamation dispute begins
[1]A Thảo-authored article accused rival Nguoi Viet Daily News of being a communist front, leading to litigation.
- 2009
Recognized among major Vietnamese-language dailies
[1]The Los Angeles Times listed the newspaper among five Vietnamese-language daily newspapers in the United States.
- 1985
Founded in Westminster
[1]Hoàng Dược Thảo founded The Little Saigon News as a weekly tabloid serving the Vietnamese American community in Orange County.
Daily edition added
[1]During the late 2000s, the publication expanded from its weekly format and began publishing a daily newspaper.
Products and positioning
A Vietnamese-language diaspora newspaper combining community news, political commentary, and advertising for Vietnamese American audiences, with a particularly strong association with Orange County’s Little Saigon.
Newspaper · 1985
The Little Saigon News weekly tabloid
The original weekly Vietnamese-language newspaper launched in Westminster in 1985. It combined local community reporting, political material, diaspora-oriented commentary, announcements, and advertising aimed at Vietnamese American readers. Its editorial identity was closely connected to the institutions and political culture of Orange County’s Little Saigon.
Daily newspaper
The Little Saigon Daily News
A daily publication added during the late 2000s as the organization expanded beyond its original weekly tabloid format. It helped the brand compete in the national Vietnamese-language daily newspaper market and supported its claimed circulation across multiple Vietnamese American communities in the United States.
Controversies
2014
Defamation judgment
An Orange County Superior Court jury awarded Nguoi Viet Daily News $4.5 million in its defamation case against The Little Saigon News. The ruling was affirmed by the court in March 2015.
2012
Accusation against Nguoi Viet Daily News
The newspaper published an article by Hoàng Dược Thảo accusing rival Nguoi Viet Daily News of being a communist front. The article led to a defamation lawsuit and became the central event in the publication’s later financial crisis.
Brand decisions
2015
File for Chapter 11 protectionOtherBackground
The filing followed a $4.5 million defamation verdict and the court’s subsequent affirmation of that judgment.
Action taken
The Little Saigon News filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on April 13, 2015.
Aftermath
As part of the libel settlement, a judge authorized Nguoi Viet Daily News to take over the publication.
Reported revenue. $3 million (2014 revenue, reported before the April 2015 bankruptcy filing)
- Nguoi Viet Daily News — Nguoi Viet Daily News pursued the defamation case and was authorized to take over the competing publication as part of the settlement.
- Add a daily newspaperProduct launch
Background
The publication sought to broaden its reach beyond its established weekly tabloid and serve a larger national Vietnamese-language readership.
Action taken
It began publishing a daily newspaper in addition to its weekly or magazine operations during the late 2000s.
Aftermath
The expansion helped establish the publication as one of the Vietnamese-language dailies recognized in the United States, although the brand later entered bankruptcy and was taken over by a rival.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/the-little-saigon-news · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled