SJ’s ‘Godfather of Little Saigon’ cases ripple through City Hall, courts and community

IT’S BEEN A GOOD MONTH in court for a San Jose businessman dubbed the “Godfather of Little Saigon,” entangling a local councilmember, an embattled power broker, a Trump administration bigwig and suggestive Vietnamese aphorisms.

Politically influential San Jose bail bondsman Hai Huynh has seen favorable turns in two dramatic courtroom battles in the last few weeks — one with District 7 Councilmember Bien Doan and another with once ally-turned-enemy David Duong, the Oakland recycling mogul and power broker with San Jose connections. Huynh appears close to advancing a defamation lawsuit against Doan, who painted Huynh as a dangerous criminal last year after Huynh criticized Doan’s political closeness with Duong. To fend off Huynh’s lawsuit, Doan has retained the private law firm of President Donald Trump’s campaign advisor and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon.