Viet Cong issue statement over band name controversy

Jagjaguwar-signed band Viet Cong have issued a statement regarding their band name. Last month, a promoter cancelled the group’s show at Oberlin College, citing “a name that deeply offends and hurts Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American communities.”

In response, Viet Cong - who released their debut album at the beginning of 2014 - issued this statement:

“Our band, Viet Cong, has existed for a little over three years now. When we named ourselves, we were naive about the history of a war in a country we knew very little about. We now better understand the weight behind the words Viet Cong. While we don’t take any concerns about the name lightly, we feel it is important to let you know that we never meant to trivialize the atrocities or violence that occurred on both sides of the Vietnam War. We never intended for our name to be provocative or hurtful.

We truly appreciate the seriousness of the feedback we’ve received, and we will continue to be open to listening to issues and concerns from all perspectives.

With love from the band Viet Cong..”

The controversy over Viet Cong’s band name was recently called “ridiculous” by Gang of Four.