A319 FLT CREW REPORTS GPWS TERRAIN WARNING AT 5400 FEET 10 NM NE OF SJC WHILE ON VECTORS TO RWY 12.

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WERE TOLD BY NORCAL APCH TO EXPECT A L DOWNWIND INTO SJC TO LAND RWY 12R. WE WERE GIVEN A 300 DEG HDG AND A DSCNT TO 5000 FT MSL. UPON RECEIVING THAT CLRNC; I TOLD THE COPLT THAT WE WOULD BE OVER HIGH TERRAIN THAT IS TO THE N OF SJC AND A GPWS WARNING MIGHT ACTIVATE. PASSING APPROX 7000 FT MSL; NORCAL AMENDED OUR ALT TO 5400 FT MSL. NEAR THE SJC 050 DEG RADIAL 10 DME FIX WE DID IN FACT HAVE A BASIC MODE OF THE GPWS ACTIVATE. THE WARNING WAS 'TERRAIN; TERRAIN; PULL UP; PULL UP.' I IMMEDIATELY APPLIED THE FLT MANUAL STEPS FOR THIS TYPE OF WARNING AND CLBED THE ACFT TO APPROX 6500 FT MSL. THE WARNING CEASED UPON THE CLBING; PARTLY BECAUSE THE RADAR ALTIMETER WAS CLBING AND THE FACT THAT WE HAD PASSED THE TERRAIN. I KNOW THE AREA WELL DUE TO PAST CIVILIAN AND MIL EXPERIENCE AND KNEW THAT WE WERE NEVER BELOW ANY TERRAIN WHILE AT 5400 FT. THE COPLT IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED NORCAL THAT WE HAD REACTED TO A GPWS EVENT AND CLBED. NORCAL RESPONDED THAT 5400 FT WAS HIS MVA IN THAT AREA. THE CTLR THEN GAVE US A 290 DEG HDG AND RECLRED US TO 5400 FT MSL. WE ALSO CONFIRMED THE ALTIMETER SETTING FOR THE SJC AREA WITH NORCAL. WE HAD SET THE ALTIMETERS CORRECTLY FOR THE LCL CONDITIONS. THE L DOWNWIND VECTOR TO RWY 12R IS NOT A NORMAL PROC FOR NORCAL BUT DUE TO THE RWY CONFIGN AND THE LATE NIGHT IT WAS AN OPTION FOR THE CTLR. I MIGHT SUGGEST THAT NORCAL REEVALUATE THEIR MVA IN THIS LOCATION AND USE 6000 FT MSL AS THE MVA. BY THE WAY THE MSA FOR THIS APCH WAS 5600 FT MSL. THE FLT PROCEEDED UNEVENTFULLY FROM THAT POINT AND WE LANDED SAFELY ON RWY 12R.