A campaign was launched in Hanoi on July 12 calling for donation of belongings and documents related to Vietnamese and US war veterans, as part of the activities to mark the 24th anniversary of the normalization of the Vietnam – US diplomatic relations (July 12, 1995 – 2019).

The first phase of the campaign will run from July 15 to April 30, 2020, with National Archives III, Vietnam environment and urban magazine, and a veteran group named ‘soldiers’ heart’ being major receivers.  

All items collected will be placed on display at a series of exhibitions coordinated by relevant Vietnamese and US agencies in both nations to commemorate the 45th anniversary of ending the war in Vietnam (April 30, 1975 – 2020).

Tran Viet Hoa, director of National Archives III, said the agency will support the preservation of the collection and work with relevant agencies to bring belongings of Vietnamese veterans kept in the US back home and vice versa. 

According to organisers, over the past years, thousands of belongings and documents of Vietnamese veterans have been sent to libraries and their families across Vietnam by their US peers.

On the occasion, Colonel Dang Vuong Hung introduced the English version of his book titled ‘American pilots in Vietnam’. It took him 16 years to compile the work.

Meanwhile, a talk show with war witnesses was also held.