The newest issue of the Friends of the Vietnam Center newsletter is now available for download on the Vietnam Center newsletters page.

Friends of the Vietnam Center Newsletters Page

The agenda for the Vietnam Center conference on Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand and the Vietnam War is now available online at the link below.

2009 Conference Agenda
Conference Website

The 2009 Vietnam Center conference on Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand and the Vietnam War will take place in Lubbock, TX on March 13-14, 2009. The registration form for this conference is now available online and can be accessed by clicking on the link below. The conference agenda and other related information will be posted to the conference page as it becomes available.

Vietnam Center Conference Website

The Vietnam Center cordially invites you join us as we celebrate Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, on Monday, January 26, 2009. This event will take place from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Formby Room of the Southwest Collections/Special Collections Library at Texas Tech University. Please come sample Vietnamese cuisine and learn more about the rich heritage and culture that makes Vietnam so remarkable.

January 26th, 2009, ushers in the Lunar Year of the Ox. In Vietnam, one of 12 animals of the zodiac represents each year. The ox represents prosperity through fortitude and hard work. It is said people born in the year of the ox are patient and inspire confidence in others, but they can also have fierce tempers and tend to be eccentric.

The Vietnamese people regard Tet as their most important holiday and prepare for it by cooking special holiday foods like Banh Chung, which consists of sticky rice with meat or bean filling wrapped tightly in banana leaves. 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 January 26th, 2009, as we celebrate this special event! For more information, please see our website or contact the Vietnam Center at 742-9010.

On December 16th thru 18th, the website of the Vietnam Center and Archive will experience periods of unavailability between the hours of 8am-5pm (-06:00 GMT). During this time we will be performing maintenance on existing systems and installing new equipment. While the website will be available during portions of these days, it will become unavailable without warning. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at 806-742-9010 or vawebmaster@ttu.edu.

The newest issue of the Friends of the Vietnam Center newsletter is now available for download on the Vietnam Center newsletters page.

Friends of the Vietnam Center Newsletters Page

The Director of the Vietnam Center and Archive, Dr. Stephen F. Maxner, has received a Presidential appointment to the board of directors of the Vietnam Education Foundation, a government agency that works to strengthen the United States’ relationship with Vietnam through educational exchanges in science and technology. Congratulations, Dr. Maxner!

Related Links:
White House press release
Vietnam Education Foundation

Due to excessive rain and flooding in the Lubbock area, Texas Tech University and the Vietnam Center and Archive will be closed on Friday, September 12th. We will reopen on Monday, September 15th.

A delegation from Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training visited Texas Tech University today to discuss plans to bring 100 Vietnamese students to TTU annually for graduate programs. The Vietnam Center and Archive was the first stop of a day packed with meetings and tours. After a presentation on our mission and our projects and partnerships in Vietnam, the delegation spent time viewing and photographing the Tram diaries. More information about the visit and the role of the Vietnam Center and Archive in Texas Tech’s interactions with Vietnam can be found here.