Hundreds of demonstrators carrying South Vietnamese flags lined the street in front of the Fairmont Olympic Hotel today to protest the visit of Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai.

Shouting "Down With Communists," the demonstrators called for the end of political oppression in Vietnam.

"We're in a free country, but back home people are oppressed," said Sai Nguyen, an organizer with the Vietnamese American Coalition in Northwest America. He hopes that Khai will listen to the message, even though the prime minister slipped in a back door of the hotel and didn't see the protestors.

He was at the hotel for a news conference kicking off his historic tour.

Seattle was the first stop on a four-city tour for the government leader, the first visit to the U.S. by a Vietnamese prime minister since the Vietnam War ended 30 years ago.

"We want him to have a policy to allow more democracy and respect for human rights," said Nguyen, an engineer who has lived in the U.S. for 30 years. "Any trade with Vietnam needs conditions of human rights and democracy in Vietnam."

Trong Tang, president of the Vietnamese-American Community of Washington State, said the legacy of the Vietnam War will last forever.

What he hoped the protest would show to the three generations of Vietnamese in the crowd is, "one man, one woman can make a difference. This is the lesson for children. If you're strong enough you can make a difference."

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com