The city has also ordered plaza management to address several building violations \u2014 and obtain proper building permits \u2014 related to the alleged mismanagement issues. The city has given the Vietnam Town Condominium Owners Association a final compliance date of Sept. 22, 2026.<\/p>\n City officials maintained they were already probing the plaza issues when previously reached for comment by San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. Their code enforcement case has been open since January, according to the city\u2019s\u00a0online code enforcement portal<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe city has been aware of this for a long time, and they haven\u2019t taken any action until now, probably because they look pretty bad now,\u201d Jason Tran, owner of Pho This Way on Story Road, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n Merchants: long-ignored problems drove decline<\/p>\n A San Jose code enforcement spokesperson said a change in inspectors caused the city\u2019s lengthy investigation into Vietnam Town\u2019s code issues. The new inspector confirmed the issues with the garage closure Dec. 11, the day San Jose Spotlight first reported on the alleged mismanagement. Inspectors were scheduled to check the garage for compliance Friday, the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n Tran said he and other merchants were unaware the city was looking into the issues. City\u00a0code enforcement<\/a>\u00a0workers have been historically spread thin and swamped by a\u00a0backlog of cases<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe hadn\u2019t heard from them,\u201d he said. \u201cWe tried to reach out to them and other government agencies but no one responded. The communication has been bad \u2014 lacking entirely. We need the city to follow up with us so we\u2019re aware of what they ordered.\u201d<\/p>\n On top of the parking garage issues, merchants said plaza management is towing cars out of the center\u2019s few remaining spaces while rampant break-ins force shops to cover their windows with plywood. They said puzzling construction work has defaced certain buildings for no apparent reason.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026 The communication has been bad \u2014 lacking entirely. We need the city to follow up with us so we\u2019re aware of what they ordered.\u201d<\/p>\n Jason Tran, owner of Pho This Way in the Vietnam Town commercial center<\/p>\n Business owners also said management is squandering the plaza\u2019s potential as an activated, thriving community space, charging merchants onerous fees for using communal areas for outdoor dining.<\/p>\n Representatives for the Vietnam Town Condominium Owners Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n Tran said he\u2019s worried plaza management will feign compliance, but revert once the city turns away. Since San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight\u2019s reporting on the merchants\u2019 lawsuit, Tran said an influx of customers have come in to ask if something is finally being done to address Vietnam Town\u2019s problems.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not asking for special treatment \u2014 only to be heard, respected and supported,\u201d Tran said. \u201cThe business owners here have invested their savings, their time and their hearts into this plaza. With the right leadership and cooperation, Vietnam Town could thrive and become a cultural and tourist destination San Jose is proud of, instead of a place where businesses are forced to struggle in silence.\u201d<\/p>\n Contact Brandon Pho at\u00a0brandon@sanjosespotlight.com\u00a0or @brandonphooo on X.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1766458510_333_LNM-20250616-SJSPOTLIGHTLOGO-01.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n