Calgary band Viet Cong has enjoyed a string of successes lately: it was a top ten finalist for the Polaris Prize for Best Canadian Album, and the group just wrapped up more than 130 shows during a year-long tour.

But while their post-punk music has been gaining positive attention, their name has drawn criticism.

Now, despite their mounting success, the group says their next album will be released under a new band name.

The communist Viet Cong army fought against South Vietnam and the United States during the Vietnam War.

For many Vietnamese today, the name still conjures images of death and suffering.

"They (the Viet Cong army) killed people in front of my house every day and my Dad put me on a boat and I had to get out of the country," My Yem Trinh, a Vietnamese woman who escaped the country and fled to Canada, told CTV Calgary.

Trinh isn't the only member of the Vietnamese community bothered by the band's name.

In fact, the group said in a statement on Facebook that they have spoken to many community members who object to the moniker, and in March, the group was forced to cancel a show at Oberlin College in Ohio, after members of the Vietnamese student community opposed the performance.

In a statement, the band said they decided to change the name after having a number of "valuable conversations with members of the Vietnamese community."

"Art and music are about creative expression. However, our band name is not our cause. This is not what our band is about," the group said. "We are a band who want to make music and play our music for our fans. We are not here to cause pain or remind people of atrocities of the past."

The band says it has not chosen a new name yet, but that it will continue to honour the concerts it has already booked under the name Viet Cong.

"We rushed into our last band name decision, we don't plan to rush into this one," the band's statement said. "But know that (we) will be rolling out a new name as soon as we agree upon one."

With files from CTV Calgary