Loans of the Canvas Bunk Bottoms

The goal of The Vietnam Graffiti Project is to make the canvas bunk bottoms collected from Vietnam Era troop ships available to museums and other institutions or organizations wishing to display them. These canvases provide a unique insight into the thoughts, opinions, and creativity of the young soldiers being sent to Vietnam and returning home after their tours of duty.

Any interested parties are invited to search through the canvases using the Vietnam Graffiti Project search page. Using this interface, users can search the text written on the canvases, narrow down or exclude categories of content, or simply browse through all of the canvases and look at the images. Assistance in using and navigating the search interface is provided by clicking the "Help?" link on the search page. Users can then select canvases that they would like to request for loan and use our online form to submit their request. Vietnam Archive staff will contact the requesting institution to discuss and review the proposal. See below for step-by-step instructions on requesting loans.

Due to our agreement with MARAD, the Vietnam Archive is unable to transfer ownership of items removed from the troop ships to other institutions. However, arrangements for "permanent" loans may be made in some cases. Generally, institutions will be required to return items to the Vietnam Archive when they are no longer on display, or when the term of the loan contract expires. Please see our loan form below for a complete list of the terms and conditions.

Vietnam Graffiti Project Loan Form and Terms and Conditions (sample)