A visitor admires photos about the Paris Peace Accord at the exhibition themed “Paris Peace Accords – A Door to Peace” being held at the Hồ Chí Minh Museum in the centre of Hà Nội. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI – Nearly 300 photos, documents and artefacts related to the Paris Peace Accords, a historical event in Vietnamese revolutionary diplomacy, are being exhibited at the Hồ Chí Minh Museum in the centre of Hà Nội.

The exhibition themed “Paris Peace Accords – A Door to Peace” includes many works which are showcased for the first time, and aims to help visitors better understand the event and how it is important to world history and Việt Nam.

The exhibition also aims to honour members of the Vietnamese negotiating delegation and generations of officials, soldiers and people who contributed to the success of the PPA as well as its implementation afterwards. It is to express gratitude to peace-loving friends around the world who supported Việt Nam in its resistance war against foreign invasions.

It opens under the authorisation of the Central Party Committee's Commission for Popularisation and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the agreement (January 27, 1973-January 27, 2023). 

Director of the Hồ Chí Minh Museum, Dr Vũ Mạnh Hà, said the display would offer the public an insight into the context, process and significance of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords (PPA), which manifested the brainpower and sound leadership of President Hồ Chí Minh and the Party Central Committee in the fight against American imperialists, affirming Vietnamese bravery, initiative, and resolute and skilful negotiating during the process of negotiating and signing the agreement.

He emphasised the PPA reflected the total victory of Việt Nam on military, political and diplomatic fronts. It is the "culmination and milestone" in the glorious history of revolutionary diplomacy in the Hồ Chí Minh era, opening a door to peace for the Vietnamese people, marking an imprint on the common struggle of the world's people for independence, freedom, peace and justice.

“With nearly 300 images, documents and artifacts, including those that are displayed and introduced for the first time in the category of storytelling of the Hồ Chí Minh Museum, the organising board hopes that the exhibition will widely and deeply spread and arouse patriotism and national pride among the public, thereby consolidating and fostering people's confidence in the Party's leadership in the current renewal and international integration process," said the museum's director at an opening ceremony in mid-January.

The exhibition displays nearly 300 objects including photos, documents and artefacts featuring the Paris Peace Accords - a historic event in Vietnamese revolutionary diplomacy. VNA/VNS Photo

The exhibition includes three major parts. The first part, themed “Vạch Đường tới Hòa Bình” (Planning a Road to Peace), provides the audience with images, documents and artefacts to help them understand more about the event. The second part, themed "Mở Cánh Cửa Hòa Bình” (Opening the Door to Peace), introduces viewers to the negotiation process, including fierce and dramatic arguments and battles, so that in the end, the victory belonged to the Vietnamese people in their war of justice.

The third part, themed “Tiến Tới Hòa Bình” (Heading to Peace), shows the struggle for the implementation of the PPA, promoting and closely combining the struggle on the three fronts of politics, military and diplomacy to consecutively win resounding victories.

On January 27, 1973, the Paris Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Việt Nam (Paris Peace Accords for short) was signed between the Democratic Republic of Việt Nam, the Republic of South Việt Nam, the Republic of Việt Nam, and the US.

It was the result of the longest and most difficult struggle in the history of Việt Nam's diplomacy, with 202 public meetings held over four years, eight months and 14 days.

The event will run until early May.

Exhibition in France

In another development, the L’Historique de Verrières (Historical Association) in Verrières-le-Buisson city on the outskirts of Paris opened on January 18 an exhibition of photos, documents and newspapers on the wartime in Việt Nam as part of activities marking the 50th anniversary of the signing of the PPA. 

The delegation of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam to the Paris Conference stayed at No 49 (now No 17) Cambacérès Street in Verrières-le-Buisson for the negotiation process from 1968 to 1973.

Visitors had a chance to admire precious documents extracted from a collection of hundreds of articles by the French and international press, which are collected into a book titled "1968-1973 Verrières-le-Buisson: Havre De Paix” (1968-1973 Verrières-le-Buisson: Haven of Peace).

People visit the exhibition of photos, documents and newspapers about the wartime in Việt Nam held in Verrières-le-Buisson city on the outskirts of Paris. VNA/VNS Photo

Christian Gautier, one of the book's authors, said that when he was a child, his family lived opposite the house where the delegation stayed, and every May 1, he used to pick flowers - a symbol of good luck - to give to Nguyễn Thị Bình who was then Vietnamese Foreign Minister, and Head of the Delegation of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Việt Nam to the Paris Conference.

Gautier has the hobby of collecting newspaper articles, including many about Việt Nam. Fifteen years ago, he thought he should gather together articles, pictures, and documents related to the War in Việt Nam, particularly those about the city of Verrières-le-Buisson and Vietnamese friends during that period.

According to him, the articles were collected from both French and international newspapers and magazines, with all political trends, leftists or rightists, opposers or supporters, but almost all supporting peace for Việt Nam.

On the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords, Christian Gautier and some of his friends published the book "1968-1973 Verrières-le-Buisson: Havre De Paix”. For the celebration of the 50th anniversary, the Historical Association in Verrières-le-Buisson city republished the book with added documents. VNS