Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive News and Updates
2009 Vietnam Center Conference Agenda Now Available Online
The agenda for the Vietnam Center conference on Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand and the Vietnam War is now available online at the link below.
Vietnam Center celebrates Tet holiday with TTU community
Texas Tech Student Phuong Minh To charms the crowd with stories about Tet traditions from her homeland of Vietnam. “Sunny,” as she is known in the U.S., is a member of the Vietnamese Student Association.
Daniel Sanchez of Southwest Collections, and Jake Bitonel and Jessica Fontenot, student assistants at the Vietnam Archive, sample traditional Vietnamese dishes at the Tet Party.A Winter Wedding for Anh & Van
Photo Courtesy of Victoria Lovelady, Senior EditorAnh Ho Nguyen and Van Thanh Nguyen were married over winter break on December 28th, 2008, in Hanoi, Vietnam. Anh is a Vietnamese graduate exchange student from Hanoi who is working at the Vietnam Archive while earning his Masters in Business Administration at Texas Tech University. Prior to coming to the U.S., Anh studied Electrical Systems at Hanoi University of Technology. His choice to attend TTU in August of 2007 was due to his family’s connections to and good relationship with the Vietnam Archive. Anh became interested in working at the Vietnam Archive because it has so much information on Vietnam. On October 14, 2008, Anh began scanning and digitizing documents for the Vietnam Archive. His work will make these documents searchable and accessible to the public through the Virtual Archive. Anh’s ability to read, write, and speak English and Vietnamese fluently has been a great help and asset to the Vietnam Archive.
Anh enjoys tennis, playing games, and watching movies. Anh’s favorite things about his educational experience at TTU are the people & infrastructure of Texas Tech. The people of Lubbock, skiing (not in Lubbock), and sightseeing are what Anh enjoys most about his experience in the U.S.
We at the Vietnam Archive wish Anh and Van a bright future. May they share many happy years together filled with love!
2009 Vietnam Center Conference Registration Form Now Available Online
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.
Come celebrate the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, January 26th, 2009
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.
Retirement Reception for Dr. James Reckner
Texas Tech University, the History department, and the Vietnam Center and Archive honored Dr. James Reckner with a retirement reception at the Merket Alumni Center on Friday, January 9. Dr. Reckner taught history at TTU for twenty years, and was the 
founding director of the Vietnam Center and Archive. Colleagues, former students, and Tech officials wished Dr. Reckner well in his retirement. He also received congratulations from U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer, Interim Provost Dr. Jane Winer, Chancellor Kent Hance, and Khuc Minh Tho. In addition, the Vietnam Center and Archive and the History department gave Dr. Reckner gifts realted to his personal interest in photography, such as a telephoto lens, a digital picture frame, a tripod, and a photo printer.
See more pictures of Dr. Reckner’s Retirement Reception in our photoalbum.
Vietnam Center and Archive Closing for Reception
The Vietnam Archive will be closed January 9th, from 2:30 to 5 PM so our staff and faculty may attend a retirement reception for founding director Dr. James Reckner at the Merket Alumni Center. Dr. Reckner has served Texas Tech for over 20 years as both a professor in the Department of History and as founding director of the Vietnam Center and Archive.
The 2009 Joint Conference Hosted by TTU Comparative Literature Program
The Comparative Literature Program at Texas Tech University is co-hosting this year’s joint-conference “Migration, Border, and the Nation-State.” This three-day event will take place in Lubbock from 9-11 April 2009. Conference organizers have issued a call for papers.
Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive
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Address
Texas Tech University, Box 41041, Lubbock, TX 79409 -
Phone
(806)742-9010 -
Email
vnca@ttu.edu