Tuesday night's City Council meeting featured dancing, cheering and even crying. The excitement anticipated the City Council's unanimous vote for the area on Stockton Boulevard between between Riza Avenue and Fruitridge Road to be named Little Saigon.

Councilman Kevin McCarty, whose district includes the one-and-a-half-mile stretch of Little Saigon, proposed the vote to the City Council in January after months of public input from South Sacramento business owners and community members. It's now the city's inaugural cultural district.

Starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, hundreds of Vietnamese and supporters of the campaign for Little Saigon began filling the city council chamber for a pre-council-meeting reception. The group included, among others, a Korean pastor, Vietnam War veterans, monks, several busloads of Vietnamese from South Sacramento, a nine-member Little Saigon committee, councilmen McCarty and Rob Fong as well as Mayor Kevin Johnson.

Many were holding American flags, waving South Vietnamese flags and wearing pins which read "I ♥ Little Saigon."

"This is an important recognition that is long overdue," McCarty said in a conversation before the council meeting. "In the last decade you've seen this stream of revitalization and it's a large part because of these Vietnamese businesses, so calling it Little Saigon is an important thing to do. Having a certain spotlight on this one ethnic group helps bring positive attention."

He also explained that 100 years ago, Stockton Boulevard was a thriving transportation corridor and the main connecting road between Sacramento and Stockton — hence the name.

Rob Fong joined McCarty to speak at the reception. He said before addressing the crowd that this is a completely different deal than an unofficial designation like the "historic Chinatown" between Third and Fifth and along I and J streets.

"Little Saigon is heavily populated with Southeast Asian businesses," he said. "A lot of our Southeast Asian community lives out in that area, and it's a natural positive move for the city of Sacramento."

California State Assemblyman Van Tran from Orange County — the site of the oldest and largest Little Saigon in the U.S. — and SMUD board director Nancy Bui were among the Vietnamese community leaders who spoke to the gatherers in Vietnamese.

Bryan Ngo, a 39-year-old office worker, said he often travels to Stockton Boulevard to get a bite to eat or go shopping, and feels the recognition of Little Saigon is long overdue.

"It's very good for the people around there, and it's time for us to be united," he said. "As soon as I heard about (the campaign) a couple months ago, I volunteered a few hours to help."

Nhon "Neo" Trinh, who has owned Design Copy Print Center on Stockton Boulevard for the last nine years, has seen the growth of the area firsthand.

"It changed a lot," he said. "New buildings and businesses have helped the area grow. Years ago, there was a lot of prostitution, but it's been better since the Vietnamese dominated the area."

But will new signage and the name Little Saigon continue to improve business in the area?

"Yes, it helps and everybody needs it," said Trinh, who is also the fundraising and sponsorship chair on the Little Saigon Committee. "It's branding, so when people think to get Vietnamese or Chinese food, they'll go there. People love the name, and tourists on the highway can see signs for it, too."

Before the City Council's unanimous decision, teary-eyed councilman and Vietnam Veteran Ray Tretheway described what the name meant to him.

"Tonight, you've truly empowered me, and now I know why I was there," he said. "You really captured for me that you're willing to build a legacy with us in America. Thank you."

His statements drew applause from the audience.

An adjacent half mile of Stockton Boulevard is expected to be approved as part of Little Saigon Feb. 9 by Sacramento County supervisors. A Feb. 13 ribbon-cutting ceremony is tentatively scheduled for 10 a.m. on the corner of Stockton Boulevard and Riza Avenue to coincide with the Vietnamese New Year (Tết) celebration, said a representative from McCarty's office.

Kathleen Haley contributed to this article.