Hanoi (VNA) – The National Archives Centre III on December 3 released a treasure trove of 150 documents that offer an insight into the glorious history of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) as part of the activities to mark the army’s 80th founding anniversary.
The collection, carefully curated from various administrative archives, provides a rich narrative of the army's evolution from its humble beginnings in December 1944 to its current status as a pivotal and elite force.
These documents span critical periods of Vietnam's military history, encompassing administrative records, personal correspondence, and official decrees that shed light on the army's organisational structure, leadership, and significant development milestones. They are considered as valuable source of information for the Party and State’s research as well as management and operation of the defence – security activities in the current period.
Among the most striking documents are pay sheets for military officers in 1958, a letter that President Ho Chi Minh sent to the soldiers in 1947 to encourage them during tough times, an edict from the late leader regarding several army regulations, and a speech by General Vo Nguyen Giap in 1944 on the establishment of the first liberation army unit.
According to Director of the National Archives Centre III Tran Viet Hoa, the archives feature documents from multiple sources, including the Government, the National Assembly, the President’s Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and musicians composing military songs like Trong Loan, Doan Nho and Trong Bang.
She said they are the living testament to the construction, struggle, and development journey of the Vietnamese army. They trace the army’s extraordinary journey, from the establishment of the Vietnam Propaganda Unit of Liberation Army, the forerunner of the VPA, on December 22, 1944, under the leadership of General Vo Nguyen Giap to its resounding victories over foreign invaders and contributions to safeguarding the nation during peacetime.
Valuable documents that highlight the close relations between President Ho Chi Minh and Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, and the VPA as well as records of General Vo Nguyen Giap, the elder brother of the VPA, will be made public soon.
Present at the release of the documents, Vo Hong Nam, son of General Vo Nguyen Giap, highlighted the documents’ profound historical and scientific values. He said they reveal the Party and State’s objectives of people's liberation and the principles of people's warfare, expressing his hope that they will be well preserved so that their values will be popularised among younger generations.
Deputy Director of the State Records and Archives Department under the Ministry of Home Affairs Tran Trung Kien said that these documents are valuable in terms of research, but also in the operation of the nation’s defence-security activities. The archives authority commits to meticulously preserving them as well as promoting their values.
The National Archives Centre III welcomes researchers and history enthusiasts interested in exploring these historical treasures. Visitors can access the documents by presenting their citizen identification/.
