Tet, the Vietnamese New Year
Today – Friday, February 4th
3:00-5:00 pm
The International Cultural Center’s Hall of Nations, Texas Tech University Campus 

This is a free event open to the public.

Traditional Vietnamese food will be served. A special presentation will be given by the Vietnamese Student Association at Texas Tech. Please join us and learn more about the rich heritage and culture that makes Vietnam so remarkable.

February 3, 2011 ushered in the Lunar Year of the Cat. In Vietnam, one of 12 animals of the zodiac represents each year. The cat symbolizes sensitivity, gentleness and kindness. It is said that people born in the year of the cat are compassionate, ambitious and sentimental, but they are often very vulnerable to opportunistic and unscrupulous people.

The Vietnamese people regard Tet as their most important holiday. Food preparation for Tet is very time consuming and often requires days of cooking and, prior to the celebrations, people clean, paint, and decorate their homes. People avoid cleaning during Tet so that good luck will not be “swept away.”

We hope you will be able to join us on February 4, 2011 as we celebrate this special event!

For more information, please call (806) 742-3742 or visit www.vietnam.ttu.edu

Link to event flyer: http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/events/tet/tet2011.pdf

Today is the start of Tết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebration and 2011 is the year of the cat.  To celebrate this great holiday, we have created an online exhibit that is an exploration of the Tết holiday and its customs, history and traditions supplemented with photos and documents from our collection.  If you would like to learn about this unique holiday please click on the link below to see our exhibit.

 http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/exhibits/tet/ 

Forty-three years ago today the North Vietnamese launched a massive countrywide attack against almost all of the major cities and province capitals in South Vietnam, breaking the truce called for the Tết holiday and forever changing the course of the war.  This countrywide assault became known as the Tet Offensive.  To commemorate this historic event, the staff of the Vietnam Archive have created exhibits detailing the events of the Tet Offensive and three of the offensive’s major battles: Hue – the Imperial City, the Battle of Khe Sanh, and the Battle for Saigon.  In addition to the exhibits, there is a new subject guide to help people locate materials about the Tet Offensive in our collection.  Links to the exhibits and subject guide are below. 

U.S. soldiers move into the alley behind BOQ #3 in Saigon. 31 Jan. 1968 Photo by: SP5 Edgar Price Pictorial A.V. Plt. 69th Sig. Bn

The Tet Offensive

http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/exhibits/Tet68/

Tet Offensive Subject Guide

http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/resources/tet

The registration form for the Vietnam Center’s upcoming Seventh Triennial Vietnam Symposium is now available online.  Registration form and payment must be received by March 1st, 2011.  Please note that due to hotel catering requirements, late and onsite registration will not include any meals.

The symposium will take place March 10-12, 2011 at the Overton Hotel in Lubbock, TX.  A special room rate of $85 is available until February 7, 2011.  For more information, please visit http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/events/2011_Symposium/ 

The agenda for this symposium will be posted at the link above once it becomes available.

Registration Form Link: http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/events/2011_symposium/registration2011.php

The Summer/Fall issue of the Friends of the Vietnam Center newsletter is available for download on our website.  Articles include information about the Texas Tech student trip to Southeast Asia, a call for papers for our Seventh Triennial Vietnam Symposium, an update on the Graffiti Project, and more.

If you would like to receive a full color printed version of this newsletter in your mailbox, please consider becoming a friend of the Vietnam Center.  Membership information can be found at this link.

Links:

Newsletters: http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/friends/newsletters.php

Membership Information: http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/friends/

Today is the Marine Corps 235th birthday.  Congratulations and many happy returns, U.S. Marine Corps!  We have put together a small exhibit of Marine-related materials from our collection.  Click here to see the exhibit.

Link:

http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/exhibits/marines/

The Navy turns 235 today!  We have put together a small exhibit of Navy related items from our collection.  Please click here to enjoy the exhibit.  From the staff of the Vietnam Center & Archive, happy happy birthday Navy!

Link: http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/exhibits/navy/

The deadline to submit proposals for the 7th Triennial Symposium is approaching.  The Symposium will take place on March 10-12, 2011 at the Overton Hotel and Conference Center in Lubbock, Texas.  For more information about the Symposium, see our event page.

The Spring 2010 issue of the Friends of the Vietnam Center newsletter is now available for download here.  Articles include a recap of the 2010 Conference on Counterinsurgency from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan, an update from the Oral History Project, a call for papers for our upcoming symposium, and much more.  You can also view and download all previous issues of the newsletter at this link.

Today is the Army’s 235th birthday!  The Vietnam Center and Archive staff want to wish the Army and all its people a very happy day.  We have put together a small exhibit commemorating this occasion.  Please click here to view the display.