The district council of Marzahn-Hellersdorf, Berlin, has approved the naming of a small park as “Nguyen Van Tu Garden” to honour a Vietnamese-origin man who was killed in a racist attack 34 years ago.
The initiative, put forward by The Left, gained backing from the Trong Com Association, which supports Vietnamese immigrants' integration and protects their interests, and the broader Vietnamese community after years of advocacy.
The resolution was adopted on April 3, 2026, with the official naming ceremony held on the International Labour Day (May 1).
Nguyen Van Tu, born in 1963, was murdered on April 24, 1992, at the age of 29 amid a surge of far-right violence targeting immigrants in post-reunification Germany. His death remains a stark reminder of a difficult period for Vietnamese and other foreign communities in the country. On May 3, 1992, about 2,000 people joined a march and funeral at the site, with support from community organisations.
Tamara Hentschel, Chairwoman of the Trong Com Association, recalled the long-standing efforts by the group and the Vietnamese community to secure the memorial, recalling the fear experienced by Vietnamese workers in the years following the fall of the Berlin Wall. She described the memorial as a significant and long-awaited tribute.
Nguyen Quoc Hung, head of a Vietnamese community club and one of the campaigners, said the naming carries significant meaning for both Vietnamese and Germans. It reflects the German society's recognition of the Vietnamese community and serves as a call for unity across races and ethnicities in rejecting extremism and fostering peaceful coexistence./.
