RIVERSIDE – (INT) – City officials say there are no plans to sever their ‘Sister City’ relationship with Can Tho, Vietnam.

Opposition surfaced in Westminster and Garden Grove, the heart of Orange County’s ‘Little Saigon’. Some in the Vietnamese community argue that Riverside’s Sister City relationship is inappropriate because Vietnam’s communist government is violating human rights.

In a statement issued Thursday, Riverside said “The Sister City relationship provides a venue for direct, person-to-person conversations on issues of mutual interest to people all over the world, including education, public health, technology and commerce.”

The statement indicated that Riverside “looks forward to further developing those bonds with the people of Can Tho.”

Story Date: February 3, 2015