- THE VIETNAM CENTER AND ARCHIVE
- Texas Tech University
Digitization of the FVPPA ODP Application Files
In December 2011 the Vietnam Center and Archive received funding in the amount of $144,000 from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) to digitize the Orderly Departure Program (ODP) Application Files Series of the Archive's Families of Vietnamese Political Prisoners Association (FVPPA) Collection. The FVPPA collection was donated to the Vietnam Center and Archive in 2006 by the Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation of Austin, TX. Digitization work started on February 1, 2012, with 5 student workers, each working 20 hours a week. Scanned documents will be available online each week, with the entire 124 box series scheduled to be completed and available online by January 31, 2015.
The FVPPA / VAHP Collection was initially processed under a NHPRC grant and was opened to researchers in May, 2008. The Vietnam Center and Archive continues to work with the VAHF to collect and preserve the history of Vietnamese Americans.
Check this page to keep up with news on how the digitization of this important collection is proceeding, and see files added yesterday. To search all digitized files use the Virtual Vietnam Archive. From the "Quick Search Page" go to "Advanced Search." Enter 1849 or FVPPA in the Collection Name field and ODP in the Item Title field to limit searches to just files digitized under this project.
Digitization Totals
News and Updates
- May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM), a nationally recognized time to celebrate the many achievements and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans to the United States’ history, culture, and society. May was chosen as APAHM due to two important historical dates and events relating to the contributions of Asian and Pacific Americans to the U.S. taking place in May. First, May 7, 1843 is the date the first Japanese immigrants to the U.S. arrived. Second, May 10, 1869 is when the transcontinental railroad was completed; many Chinese immigrants labored laying the tracks.
To celebrate APAHM, we have updated our APAHM online exhibit to include new information and materials, including items from the Families of Vietnamese Political Prisoners Association collection Orderly Departure Program files that are currently being digitized. These records, donated by the Vietnamese American Historical Foundation, document the history of many Vietnamese who immigrated to the US after the war and who eventually became US citizens.
To find out more about APAHM, view our APAHM online exhibit.
- May 1, 2012
- Orderly Departure Program Digitization Update
On February 1st five student workers started digitizing the Orderly Departure Program (ODP) Application Files of the Families of Vietnamese Political Prisoners Association (FVPPA) Collection. These files record this history of over 10,000 Vietnamese who applied to immigrate to the United States and other countries following the end of the Vietnam War. Many of the applicants in this collection spent years in reeducation camps before immigrating.
The FVPPA collection was brought to the Vietnam Center and Archive in 2005 by the Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation. This year the VNCA received a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for a three year, $144,000 project to digitize the files and make them available through the Virtual Vietnam Archive. This is the second grant we have received for this collection from the NHPRC. In 2008 we received funding to process the collection to make the physical materials available to researchers. Since the start of the digitization project, work has been proceeding quickly and smoothly. Currently over 1200 files have been digitized, totaling over 25,000 pages. This pace of digitization has already put us ahead of schedule on the project.
The files can searched for through the Virtual Vietnam Archive search page (go to Advanced Search to limit your results to just this collection). Those interested can also track the progress of the project on our ODP digitization page, which lists current digitization totals, news about the project, and files made available online in the past day.
- April 6, 2012
- Vietnam Center and Archive Receives Three Year Grant to Digitize FVPPA Files
The Vietnam Center and Archive has received a three year, $144,000 grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) to digitize the Orderly Departure Program (ODP) files of the Families of Vietnamese Political Prisoners Association Collection (FVPPA). This collection of approximately 250,000 pages is comprised of the records of more than 10,000 Vietnamese applying to immigrate to the United States following the end of the Vietnam War. Many of the applicants were former re-education camp detainees.
The FVPPA collection, brought to the Archive in 2005 by the Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation, is one of the largest and most significant collections available to researchers studying the Vietnamese American immigration experience. The ODP files, according to Associate Director Mary Saffell are “as important to the study of Vietnamese Americans as the Ellis Island records are to the families of immigrants from the early 20th century.”
It is expected that digitization, which will begin in February, will take three years to complete. As the items are digitized, they will be added to the Virtual Vietnam Archive. You can also follow the progress of the project and see recently digitized files from the collection at http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/vahp/digitization.php.
This is the second grant the Center has received from the NHPRC for this collection, including funding received in 2008 to originally process the collection.
- January 24, 2012
