Vietnamese American Heritage Project

Introduction

Created in 2008, the Vietnamese American Heritage Project (VAHP) supports the Vietnam Archive’s mission to document the war from all perspectives by providing documentation of the post-war social and political history of Vietnamese Americans who immigrated to the United States during and after the Vietnam conflict. A component of the archive, the VAHP is comprised of a full time Vietnamese American Heritage Archivist and one part time student assistant who collect, preserve, and make accessible to the public materials that document the experiences and contributions of Vietnamese Americans in American society. The VAHP aims to enhance the study of the Vietnamese immigration and resettlement experience by providing reference services to researchers and increasing Vietnamese American participation in the archive’s Oral History Project, conducting outreach activities, and developing cooperative relationships with other institutions dedicated to preserving Vietnamese American’s rich heritage.

FVPPA Collection

The corner-stone of the VAHP is the Vietnam Archive’s Families of Vietnamese Political Prisoners Association (FVPPA) Collection, donated by the Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation (VAHF). During the 80's and 90's, the FVPPA successfully helped over 10,000 former Vietnamese reeducation camp detainees and their families immigrate to the US and other countries through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee’s (UNHCR) Orderly Departure Program (ODP). To mark the FVPPA Collection as available to researchers the Vietnam Archive held an opening ceremony on May 28, 2008. Among the distinguished guests and speakers at the event were: Khuc Minh Tho, founder and President of FVPPA; Nancy Bui, President of the VAHF; T. Kumar, Advocacy Director for Asia and Pacific, Amnesty International; and An Hoang Le, former Vietnamese reeducation camp detainee.

Donating to the Archive and Participating in the Oral History Project

South China Sea/ Vietnamese Boat People/ Rescue at Sea/ ; Adrift at sea, these refugees were saved in time.: Douglas Pike Photograph Collection [VA001624]
South China Sea/ Vietnamese Boat People/ Rescue at Sea/ ; Adrift at sea, these refugees were saved in time.
(Douglas Pike Photograph Collection [VA001624])

If you or your organization are interested in donating materials to the Vietnam Archive or participating in our Oral History Project, please contact the Vietnam Archive. Our staff is happy to help and will do their best to answer your questions.

Outreach Activities, ODP Application and Counterpart Searches

Keep up with the Vietnam Archive’s VAHP outreach activities by following the VNCA. Talk with fellow researchers, share and post information on your search for an ODP applicant or a Vietnamese counterpart on the Vietnam Center and Archive Facebook page.

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