Hanoi (VNA) – The first newspaper copies reporting the defeat of French colonialists in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign in the northwestern province of Dien Bien 70 years ago are now exhibited at the Vietnam Press Museum in Hanoi.
The copies were presented to the museum by French collector Jean-Marie Jacquemin, who also donated a book titled “1968 - 1973 Verrières-le-Buisson: Havre De Paix” (Verrières-le-Buisson: Safe Haven) and some valuable publications related to Vietnam to the museum.
Jacquemin, who used to work at the Le Monde newspaper’s printing house for over 30 years, has a hobby of collecting books, newspapers, documents, and stamps according to topics, including the just struggle of the Vietnamese people.
Talking to the Vietnam News Agency in France, Jacquemin enthusiastically recounted the origin of the copies that his father kept and passed down to him.
He explained that due to his father's influence, he has kept a plethora of newspaper articles about global events, including the Indochina War and the defeat of French colonialists in Vietnam seven decades ago.
Jacquemin expressed admiration for a small country that has conducted resistance movements and achieved victories against major colonial powers like France and the US. He also praised the reconciliation between France and Vietnam, highlighting their mutual efforts to move forward and maintain a good relationship over the past five decades.
In the future, it is essential to further promote the relationship between France and Vietnam through enhancing culture exchange and tourism, thus further strengthening mutual understanding, he said.
The book “1968 - 1973 Verrières-le-Buisson: Havre De Paix” is a collection of hundreds of articles posted on French and other countries’ newspapers. It was first published in 2013 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords and then reprinted in 2023 to mark the 50 years since the signing.
Director of the Vietnam Press Museum Tran Thi Kim Hoa appreciated the collector for his donations, saying that the presence of these newspapers at the museum helps Vietnamese people understand the interest of the French people and press in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign./.
