United States: Spectators Pleased by the Falun Gong Contingent at the Annual Vietnamese New Year Parade in San Jose

On February 10th, 2008, San Francisco Bay Area Falun Gong practitioners were invited to participate in the annual Vietnamese New Year Parade in San Jose. About 100 groups from the local Vietnamese community, the Chinese community, and schools took part in the event. On this beautiful day, the Falun Dafa Divine Land Marching Band once again participated in the parade. About 50,000 spectators along the parade route were delighted to see the beautiful presentation by the Falun Gong contingent.

Practitioners hold a banner reading "Falun Dafa, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" in Vietnamese

Parade organiser Loan Nguyen said that Falun Gong's Divine Land Marching Band was the most energetic band

New Tang Dynasty Television's (NTDTV) contingent participates in the parade. Recently, NTDTV's Chinese New Year Splendor created a sensation in New York

The Falun Gong contingent was led by the Divine Land Marching Band. Members of the band in blue hats and shirts and white pants were in high spirits and full of enthusiasm. They played "Falun Dafa Is Good," "American the Beautiful," "Fa Rectifies Heaven and Earth," and "Fa Drums and Trumpets Shake the World in Ten Directions." The stirring music touched people's hearts. Following closely behind them was the Falun Gong exercise demonstration group, a peaceful addition to the parade.

Parade organiser Loan Nguyen said that this was the eleventh Vietnamese New Year Parade. She thought that the Divine Land Marching Band's performance was excellent and that their choice of music was very appropriate. She said that she was very pleased to have practitioners participate in the parade, and that it was very important to the Vietnamese community. The Vietnamese and Chinese have a common goal, according to Ms. Nguyen, that is, abandoning communism.

San Jose citizen Doris said that it was the first time that she had seen the Vietnamese New Year Parade and that the performance of the Divine Marching Land was "wonderful."

Practitioner Zhang Hong said she felt deeply about participating in the parade. She said that their contingent was the only Chinese group in the parade. When they passed by the spectators, some of them took pictures, and some waved to greet them, shouting, "Falun Dafa is good."

Ms. Zhang said that the Divine Land Marching Band is composed of Falun Gong practitioners from all walks of life. Every time there is a parade in the community, they participate in order to help more people know what Falun Dafa is and that Falun Gong practitioners cultivate "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance."

She said that practitioners in China are still being persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and that all practitioners hope to awaken the conscience of more people, so that they can join in helping to stop the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong.

Ms. Zhang said that more Chinese people are learning that Falun Gong is righteous, that people are awakening, and that more and more people are opposing the persecution and quitting the CCP and its affiliated organisations.