The Vietnam Center and Archive is now on Facebook. Become a fan and keep up with the latest happenings at the Center and Archive, find out about upcoming events, see pictures from past events, make comments, and connect with other Vietnam Center and Archive supporters.
To become a fan, you first need to have your own Facebook page. The go to the Vietnam Center and Archive Facebook page and click Become a Fan.
Session videos from the Vietnam Center’s 2009 Conference “Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia and the Vietnam War” are now available online on the Conference Videos Page and in the Virtual Vietnam Archive.
This event is an opportunity to raise funds which will allow us to continue our mission to preserve the history of the Vietnam War, help veterans and their families deal with their war experiences, and assist the US government in their search for the 1,750 men who are still missing from the war.
If you are interested in sponsoring this event, please visit www.vietnam.ttu.edu/20th for more information. The deadline for sponsoring this event is April 10, 2009. Seating will be limited, so all sponsorships will be first come, first served.
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.
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 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
Mr. David Shelly, an Army Combat Veteran of the Vietnam War, and Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Center Advisory Board, passed away on July 4th after a long illness. He was 59 years old. Services are pending with Bartley Funeral Home of Plainview.
Update: Memorial services for David A. Shelly will be 10 a.m. Friday at the Lubbock Area Veterans’ War Memorial at 4001 82nd Street under the direction of Bartley Funeral Home of Plainview. Interment will follow at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery at a later date.
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.
