Conference Call for Papers and Panels
“1975:  The End of the Vietnam War”

April 10-12, 2025, Lubbock, Texas

The Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive and Institute for Peace & Conflict at Texas Tech University are pleased to announce a Vietnam War conference focused on the year 1975. This conference will approach a wide range of historical events and topics by hosting presenters who examine diplomatic, military, international, regional, social, cultural, and domestic aspects of the Vietnam War. We also seek presentations that reflect the recent and emerging scholarship on the policies, strategies, and decisions of the military, political, and diplomatic leaders of all nations involved as the war came to an end.

North Vietnam launched what would be the last Spring Offensive of the war on March 10, 1975. While Republic of Vietnam (RVN) military forces put up strong defenses in strategic locations to include Ban Me Thuột, Xuân Lộc, and Phan Rang, absent additional U.S. military supplies and support, many South Vietnamese units withdrew under heavy fire to help defend Saigon. Despite RVN forces fighting bravely to defend the city, Saigon ultimately fell on April 30, 1975, ending the Vietnam War. In the days leading up to the fall of Saigon, Americans and Vietnamese worked together, identifying buildings and locations for possible helicopter evacuation flights and prepositioning fuel and necessary supplies should the need arise. As People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces started their final assault on Saigon on April 29, U.S. President Gerald Ford ordered the evacuation of all Americans and Vietnamese nationals at risk of persecution when the communist Vietnamese took control of the city. The largest helicopter evacuation in history, Operation Frequent Wind resulted in the evacuation of more than 7,000 Americans and Vietnamese to locations in the region and to U.S. ships, to include the USS Midway, stationed in the South China Sea. Within Vietnam, while the war officially ended on April 30, the year 1975 continued as a year of political persecution and imprisonment for many remaining South Vietnamese citizens who worked with the governments and military forces of the Republic of Vietnam and the U.S.

This conference seeks to explore all related topics, both as discreet areas of interest as well as interconnected aspects of larger events. We want to continue examining the issues related to what brought the various parties to end the war in 1975 and what happened in its aftermath. We encourage presentations that examine other topics such as the social and religious aspects of the war, the effect of journalism and reporting, and the efforts to end the war through international diplomacy. We desire to include international perspectives and seek presentations that reflect the perspectives of all participant nations. Presentations by veterans and wartime participants are encouraged, especially RVN military veterans, U.S. military veterans, U.S. Navy crew members on the USS Midway and other ships in the South China Sea, U.S. and RVN civilians active in Vietnam to include embassy personnel, government officials, Air America pilots and crews, and anyone else present in Vietnam during the final four months of the Vietnam War. We also encourage proposals from graduate students and graduate student travel grants might be made available for select students.

This conference will be hosted in Lubbock, Texas. Conference organizers welcome individual proposals as well as pre-organized panel proposals that include a moderator and three individual presentations. Conference sessions will follow the standard 90-minute format to include 60 minutes for presentations (20 minutes/presentation) followed by 30 minutes for questions/discussion. All presentations will be video recorded and made publicly available after the conference via the Vietnam Center & Archive website. Select papers may also be published.

Proposal submission deadline is November 1, 2024.

Please submit a 250-word abstract and separate two-page CV/resume to VietnamConference.TTU@gmail.com. If submitting a panel proposal, please include separate abstracts for each proposed presentation and short CVs/resumes for each speaker.

This conference will be hosted at the

MCM Elegante Hotel & Suites

801 Avenue Q, Lubbock, TX 79401

1-806-763-1200

https://www.mcmelegantelubbock.com

Please contact us at vnca@ttu.edu if you have any questions about this event.

Thank you for your interest in this conference.

Conference Call for Papers and Panels
“1974: Shattered Peace, Continued Conflict, and Preparing for the Final Battle for Vietnam”

April 11-13, 2024, Irving, Texas, at the new TTU-DFW Site

(Submission deadline: February 15, 2024)

The Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive and Institute for Peace & Conflict at Texas Tech University are pleased to announce a Vietnam War conference focused on the year 1974. While the theme for the conference focuses on events that took place in 1974, we welcome papers and panels that explore all aspects of Vietnam War history from the French Indochina War to postwar legacies that continue to the present. This conference will approach a wide range of historical events and topics by hosting presenters who examine diplomatic, military, international, regional, social, cultural, and domestic aspects of the Vietnam War. We also seek presentations that reflect the recent and emerging scholarship on the policies, strategies, and decisions of the military, political, and diplomatic leaders of all nations involved as they sought to bring a successful conclusion to the war.

Militarily, neither side adhered to the terms of the Paris Peace Accords of 1973. North Vietnam continued to rebuild and deploy forces to South Vietnam, preparing them for the final North Vietnamese offensives to forcibly reunify Vietnam under a single communist government. Toward that end, North Vietnam launched a series of operations on land and in the South China Sea that continued to erode South Vietnam’s fighting capabilities. South Vietnam continued to staunchly defend their territory and launched several offensives against the People’s Army to include the Battle of Tri Phap and the Battle of Svay Rieng, inflicting significant casualties on the People’s Army, but not enough to stop the continued buildup of their forces within the South. In the U.S., President Richard Nixon came under increasing pressure due to the Watergate scandal, eventually resigning in August 1974. Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress continued to debate the level of aid the U.S. should provide to South Vietnam, eventually cutting aid to $700 million in 1974.

This conference seeks to explore all such topics, both as discreet areas of interest as well as interconnected aspects of the larger events. We encourage presentations that examine military, political, diplomatic social, economic, cultural, and religious aspects of the war, the effect of journalism and reporting, and the efforts to end the conflict through international diplomacy and peace initiatives. We desire international perspectives and seek presentations that reflect all participants, including the U.S., RVN, DRV, NLF, Cambodia, Laos, China, the Soviet Union, and all other nations involved. Presentations by veterans and wartime participants are especially encouraged, particularly RVN military veterans, U.S. military veterans, U.S. navy crew members on U.S. ships in the South China Sea, U.S. and RVN civilians active in Vietnam to include embassy personnel, government officials, defense technical advisers, Air America pilots and crews, and anyone else present in Vietnam during 1974. Presentation proposals from graduate students and independent researchers and scholars are also welcome and encouraged.

Conference organizers welcome individual proposals as well as pre-organized panel proposals that include a moderator and three individual presentations. Conference sessions will follow the standard 90-minute format to include 60 minutes for presentations (20 minutes/presentation) followed by 30 minutes for questions/discussion. All presentations will be video recorded and made publicly available after the conference via the Vietnam Center & Archive website. Select papers may also be published.

Proposal submission deadline is February 15, 2024.

Please submit a 250-word abstract and separate two-page CV/resume to VietnamConference.TTU@gmail.com. If submitting a panel proposal, please include separate abstracts for each proposed presentation and short CVs/resumes for each speaker.

SPECIAL NOTE

This new Texas Tech facility is located minutes from the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. All conference activities will take place at this location to include a welcome reception on Thursday evening April 11 and all conference sessions and meals on Friday and Saturday, April 12 and 13.

The address for the TTU-DFW Site is:

4201 State Highway 161, Irving TX 75038

While we are not able to arrange a block of guest rooms at a specific hotel, VNCA/IPAC faculty and staff will be staying at the following location:

Embassy Suites Dallas DFW Airport South

4650 W Airport Freeway, Irving, TX 75062

For conference updates and additional information, please visit us online:

https://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/events/2024_Conference/

Thank you for your interest in participating in this conference.

Conference Call for Papers and Panels
“1973:  The Paris Peace Accords and the Allied Withdrawal from South Vietnam”

March 2-4, 2023, Lubbock, Texas

The Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive and Institute for Peace & Conflict at Texas Tech University are pleased to announce a Vietnam War conference focused on the year 1973. This conference will approach a wide range of historical events and topics by hosting presenters who examine diplomatic, military, international, regional, social, cultural, and domestic aspects of the Vietnam War. We also seek presentations that reflect the recent and emerging scholarship on the policies, strategies, and decisions of the military, political, and diplomatic leaders of all nations involved as they sought to bring a successful conclusion to the war.

Militarily, the warfighting efforts of North Vietnam waned temporarily following the Easter Offensive and Christmas bombing of 1972, taking a much-needed respite so they could recover, resupply, and redeploy additional forces in preparation for the next phase of the war. As the U.S. and other allies withdrew forces, the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam shouldered operational command and responsibility for defending South Vietnam. While agreeing to withdraw from Vietnam, the U.S. increased the air war over Cambodia in an ill-fated attempt to support General Lon Nol and to keep Phnom Penh from falling to the communist Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot. Operation Homecoming resulted in the return of U.S. prisoners-of-war while the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps demined Hai Phong Harbor and coastal North Vietnam. Diplomatically, Henry Kissinger traveled to Hanoi to discuss establishing diplomatic relations between the U.S. and North Vietnam while the International Commission of Control and Supervision (ICCS) was established to supervise the implementation of the peace accords. Domestically, the U.S. Congress made plans to slash U.S. military and economic assistance to South Vietnam in half while the American people and Nixon administration became preoccupied with the Watergate scandal.

This conference seeks to explore all such topics, both as discreet areas of interest as well as interconnected aspects of the larger events. We want to continue examining the issues related to what brought the various parties to 1973 and what happened in its aftermath. We encourage presentations that examine other topics such as the social and religious aspects of the war, the effect of journalism and reporting, and the efforts to end the conflict through international diplomacy. We desire an international perspective and seek presentations that reflect the perspectives of all participants, including the U.S., RVN, DRV, NLF, Cambodia, Laos, China, the Soviet Union, and all other nations involved.

This conference will be hosted in Lubbock, Texas. Conference organizers welcome individual proposals as well as pre-organized panel proposals that include a moderator and three individual presentations. Conference sessions will follow the standard 90-minute format to include 60 minutes for presentations (20 minutes/presentation) followed by 30 minutes for questions/discussion. Presentations by veterans are especially encouraged, as are presentations by graduate students. Graduate student travel grants might also be made available for select students. All presentations will be video recorded and made publicly available after the conference via the Vietnam Center & Archive website. Select papers may also be published.

Proposal submission deadline is January 15, 2022.

Please submit a 250-word abstract and separate two-page CV/resume to VietnamConference.TTU@gmail.com. If submitting a panel proposal, please include separate abstracts for each proposed presentation and short CVs/resumes for each speaker.

Thank you for your interest in participating in this conference.

April 30 @ Silent Wings Museum, Lubbock

The Vietnam Center and Archive at Texas Tech will be there all day with era items — please stop by and say hello!

SILENT WINGS MUSEUM | 6202 N. I-27 | LUBBOCK, TEXAS

7:00 5K Fun Run/Walk | Team Red, White & Blue
9:00 Color Guard & Opening Ceremony
9:15 Keynote Address | Dr. Rodney Gonzalez,
Medical Center Director, Amarillo VA Health Care System

9:30 Veteran Resource Fair | Veterans Services and Community Organizations
Car Show | Caprock Classic Car Club
Kid’s Activities

10:00 Live Music | Makenzie Patton | Spur 327
11:00 Motorcycle Poker Run | Veterans of Wars
11:30 Lunch | Lubbock National Bank, Sonic, Bahama Bucks
1-3:00 ROTC Drill Competitions | Car Show | Kid’s Activities

Conference Call for Papers and Panels
“1972: The War Between North and South Vietnam”

April 1-2, 2022, Orange, California

The Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive and Institute for Peace & Conflict at Texas Tech University, and the War and Society Program at Chapman University, are pleased to announce a Vietnam War conference focused on the year 1972. This conference will approach a wide range of historical events and topics by hosting presenters who examine diplomatic, military, international, regional, social, cultural, and domestic aspects of the Vietnam War. We also seek presentations that reflect the recent and emerging scholarship on the policies, strategies, and decisions of the military, political, and diplomatic leaders of all nations involved as they sought to bring a successful conclusion to the war.

Militarily, the war effort of North Vietnam peaked with the launch of the Easter Offensive, their largest attack into South Vietnam since the beginning of the war. As the U.S. continued withdrawing American forces, the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam shouldered increased operational command and responsibility for defending South Vietnam, while receiving air and logistical support from the U.S. Diplomatically, as the fighting escalated throughout the year, U.S. and Vietnamese diplomats continued their discussions to establish a peace agreement in Paris. As North Vietnam persisted with their “talk-fight” strategy, the U.S. continued a strategy of “progressive squeeze and talk” and strategic bombing. Domestically, the escalation of military operations in 1972 resulted in continued domestic discord and antiwar protest within the U.S. A presidential election year with the Watergate scandal unfolding the Nixon administration sought to maintain popular support among the “silent majority” through a show of American strength in the face of North Vietnamese aggression. Internationally, the initial success of Nixon’s Cold War diplomacy near year’s end started to reduce international tensions and initiated the slow process of challenging widely held perceptions of monolithic international communism.

This conference seeks to explore all such topics, both as discreet areas of interest as well as interconnected aspects of the larger events. We also want to continue examining the issues related to what brought the various parties to 1972 and what happened in its aftermath. We encourage presentations that examine other topics such as the social and religious aspects of the war, the effect of journalism and reporting on the war, and the efforts to end the conflict through international diplomacy. We want an international perspective covered and seek presentations that reflect the perspectives of all participants, including those of the US, RVN, DRV, NLF, and all other nations involved.

This two-day event will be hosted in Orange, California. Conference organizers welcome individual proposals as well as pre-organized panel proposals that include a moderator and three individual presentations. Conference sessions will follow the standard 90-minute format to include 60 minutes for presentations (20 minutes/presentation) followed by 30 minutes for questions/discussion. Presentations by veterans are especially encouraged, as are presentations by graduate students. Graduate student travel grants might also be made available for select students. All presentations will be video recorded and made publicly available after the conference via the Vietnam Center & Archive website. Select papers may also be published.

Proposal submission deadline is November 1, 2021.

Please submit a 250-word abstract and separate two-page CV/resume to VietnamConference.TTU@gmail.com. If submitting a panel proposal, please include separate abstracts for each proposed presentation and short CVs/resumes for each speaker.

Thank you for your interest in participating in this conference.

Conference Call for Papers and Panels
“1970-1971:  Nixon, Discord, and the US Withdrawal from Vietnam” 

April 8-10, 2021, Lubbock, Texas 

(At this time, this conference will be a hybrid event featuring both in-person and remote presentations) 

The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive (VNCA) and the Institute for Peace & Conflict (IPAC) at Texas Tech University are pleased to announce a Vietnam War conference focused on the years 1970 and 1971. This conference will approach a wide range of historical events and topics by hosting presenters who examine diplomatic, military, international, regional, and domestic aspects of the Vietnam War. We also seek presentations that reflect the recent and emerging scholarship on the policies, strategies, and decisions of President Nixon, General Abrams, and their advisors and deputies as they sought to bring about a successful conclusion to the Vietnam War. At the same time, 1970 and 1971 were years of major domestic discord inside the United States, including the shootings at Kent State University, the Hard Hat Riot in New York City, the Mayday Action in 1971, among various antiwar and anti-draft protests. Additional areas of interest include major combat operations such as the Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord as well as the political, strategic, and tactical decision-making to expand the war into Cambodia with the Cambodian Incursion and into Laos with Operation Tailwind and Lam Son 719. We also encourage presentations that examine the social and religious aspects of the war, the effect of journalism and reporting on the war, and the efforts to end the conflict through international diplomacy.  We seek presentations that reflect the perspectives of all participants, including those of the US, RVN, DRV, NLF, and all other nations involved. 

This two-day conference will be hosted in Lubbock, Texas, and will be conducted in a hybrid format featuring both in-person and remote presentations. Conference organizers welcome both individual presentation proposals as well as pre-organized panel proposals that include a moderator/commentator and three individual presentations. Conference sessions will follow the standard 90-minute format to include 60 minutes for presentations (20 minutes per presentation) followed by 30 minutes for commentary, questions, and discussion. Presentations by veterans are especially encouraged, as are presentations by graduate students. All presentations will be video recorded and made publicly available after the conference via the Vietnam Center and Archive website. Select papers may also be published in a collection by the TTU Press or other entity. 

Proposal submission deadline is February 1, 2021. 

For presenters who submitted proposals accepted for the cancelled April 2020 conference, if you wish to present at the April 2021 conference, your previous paper submissions will be reviewed as submitted and accepted on a case-by-case basis. Please send a notification of your interest to participate using your previous submission to VietnamConference.TTU@gmail.com. 

For new paper/panel submissions, please submit a 250-word abstract and separate two-page CV/resume to VietnamConference.TTU@gmail.com. If submitting a panel proposal, please include separate abstracts for each proposed presentation and short CVs/resumes for each speaker. 

For all submissions, please include your preference for making an in-person or remote presentation. 

Thank you for your interest in participating in this conference. 

The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive
invites you to join us as we celebrate

-Tet –
The Vietnamese New Year

Thursday, January 30, 2020
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
The International Cultural Center
Hall of Nations
Texas Tech University

The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive cordially invites you to join us as we celebrate Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, on Thursday, January 30, 2020. Please come sample delicious Vietnamese cuisine and learn more about the rich heritage and culture that makes Vietnam so remarkable.

In Vietnam, one of 12 animals of the zodiac represents each year and 2020 ushers in the Lunar Year of the Rat. The Rat plays an important role in everyday life in Vietnam and people born in the Year of the Rat are said to be intelligent, charming, creative, generous, and meticulous.
The Vietnamese people regard Tet as their most cherished holiday and it is a time to celebrate family and friends. We hope you will be able to join us!
at Texas Tech University

For more information, please visit
www.vietnam.ttu.edu or call 742-9010

Conference Call for Papers and Panels
“1970:  Nixon and Discord during the Vietnam War”

April 9-11, 2020, Lubbock, Texas

The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive (VNCA) and the Institute for Peace & Conflict (IPAC) at Texas Tech University are pleased to announce a conference focused on the year 1970. We expect in this conference to approach a wide range of historical events and topics by hosting presenters who examine diplomatic, military, international, regional, and domestic aspects of the Vietnam War. We also seek presentations that reflect the recent and emerging scholarship on the policies, strategies, and decisions of President Nixon, General Abrams, and their advisors and deputies as they sought to bring about a successful conclusion to the Vietnam War. At the same time, 1970 was a year of major domestic discord inside the United States, including the shootings at Kent State University, the Hard Hat Riot in New York City, among various antiwar and anti-draft protests. Additional areas of interest include major combat operations such as the Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord, as well as the political, strategic, and tactical decision-making to expand the war into Cambodia with the Cambodian Incursion and into Laos with Operation Tailwind. We also encourage presentations that examine the social and religious aspects of the war, the effect of journalism and reporting on the war, and the efforts to end the conflict through international diplomacy.  We seek presentations that reflect the perspectives of all participants, including those of the US, RVN, DRV, NLF, and all other nations involved.

This two-day conference will be hosted in Lubbock, Texas. Conference organizers welcome both individual presentation proposals as well as pre-organized panel proposals that include a moderator/commentator and three individual presentations. Conference sessions will follow the standard 90-minute format to include 60 minutes for presentations (20 minutes per presentation) followed by 30 minutes for commentary, questions, and discussion. Presentations by veterans are especially encouraged, as are presentations by graduate students. Graduate student travel honoraria will be competitive and made available to select students. All presentations will be video recorded and made publicly available after the conference via the Vietnam Center and Archive website. Select papers may also be published in a collection by the TTU Press or other entity.

Proposal submission deadline is February 15, 2020. Please submit a 250-word abstract and separate two-page CV/resume to VietnamConference.TTU@gmail.com. The program committee of Ron Milam, Steve Maxner, Justin Hart, Dave Lewis, and Laura Calkins will evaluate all paper proposals and develop a program that reflects the many remarkable aspects of 1970. If submitting a panel proposal, please include separate abstracts for each proposed presentation and CVs/resumes for each speaker.

Thank you for your interest in participating in this conference.

Please join the Vietnam Center and Archive
as we celebrate…
Tuesday, February 5
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
The International Cultural Center
Hall of Nations
Texas Tech University

The Vietnam Center and Archive cordially invites you to join us as we celebrate Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, on Tuesday, February 5, 2019. Please come sample delicious Vietnamese cuisine and learn more about the rich heritage and culture that makes Vietnam so remarkable.
In Vietnam, one of 12 animals of the zodiac represents each year and 2019 ushers in the Lunar Year of the Pig. The Pig plays an important role in everyday life in Vietnam and people born in the Year of the Pig are said to be gentle, sincere, honest, loyal, hard-working, and trusting. The Vietnamese people regard Tet as their most cherished holiday and it is a time to celebrate family and friends.We hope you will be able to join us!

For more information, please visit
www.vietnam.ttu.edu or call 742-9010

Conference Call for Papers and Panels
“1969:  Vietnamization and the Year of Transition in the Vietnam War”

April 25-27, 2019, Lubbock, Texas

The Vietnam Center and Archive (VNCA) and the Institute for Peace & Conflict (IPAC) at Texas Tech University are pleased to announce a conference focused on the year 1969. We expect in this conference to approach a wide range of historical events and topics by hosting presenters who examine diplomatic, military, international, regional, and domestic aspects of the Vietnam War. We also seek presentations that reflect the recent and emerging scholarship on the transition of leadership from Johnson to Nixon and from Westmoreland to Abrams in challenging and complicating existing interpretations of them and their policies. We are also particularly interested in papers that address the concepts of “Vietnamization” and the shift toward “pacification.” We seek presentations that reflect all participants and perspectives, including those of the US, RVN, DRV, NLF, and other nations involved. Additional areas of interest include the strategic and tactical decision-making to expand the war into Cambodia with OPERATION MENU. We also encourage presentations that examine the social and religious aspects of the war, the antiwar and peace movements at home and abroad, the effect of journalism and reporting on the war, and the efforts to end the conflict through international diplomacy and military and diplomatic means in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

This two-day conference will be hosted in Lubbock, Texas. Conference organizers welcome both individual presentation proposals as well as pre-organized panel proposals that include a moderator/commentator and three individual presentations. Conference sessions will follow the standard 90-minute format to include 60 minutes for presentations (20 minutes per presentation) followed by 30 minutes for commentary, questions, and discussion. Presentations by veterans are especially encouraged as are presentations by graduate students. Graduate student travel grants will be made available to select students. All presentations will be video recorded and made publicly available after the conference via the Vietnam Center and Archive website. Select papers may also be published in a collection by the TTU Press.

Proposal submission deadline is February 15, 2019. Please submit a 250-word abstract and separate two-page CV/resume to VietnamConference.TTU@gmail.com. The program committee of Ron Milam, Steve Maxner, Justin Hart, Dave Lewis, and Laura Calkins will evaluate all paper proposals and develop a program that reflects the many remarkable aspects of 1969. If submitting a panel proposal, please include separate abstracts for each proposed presentation and CVs/resumes for each speaker.

Thank you for your interest in participating in this conference.