Heroine puts her life on display

Former Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh has donated more than 800 objects, mostly photographs, to the Vietnamese Women's Museum.
Former Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh has donated more than 800 objects, mostly photographs, to the Vietnamese Women's Museum.

They include 70 photos taken when Binh was in the war zone during the American War, 500 during her diplomatic activities, 100 when she served as the Minister of Education and Vice President of Vietnam, 64 together with women and children and more than 40 personal photos with her family and relatives.

She also donated many hand-written letters that her family and friends sent to her when she was on business abroad and participating in the resistance war. The letters express the nostalgia and sentiment of her father, husband and daughter when she was far from home.

Visitors to the museum will also get to see objects relating to the Paris Peace Accords in 1973, which she joined on behalf of the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam.

Binh was born as Nguyen Chau Sa in 1927 in the southern province of Dong Thap. She was the only woman who signed the Paris Peace Accords, an agreement that aimed to end the war and restore peace in Vietnam. From 1945 to 1951, she took part in various intellectual movements against the French colonists. The National Assembly elected her twice to the position of Vice President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam for the terms 1992-97 and 1997-2002.

"Seeing these photos and letters, I remember the difficult time with many obstacles. Some of them seemed to be impossible to overcome. They were historical milestones for the country," she said.

Binh also hoped that the museum would introduce the objects effectively.

"I hope that the museum doesn't only feature me and my career but reflects images of Vietnamese women who were diligent and hard-working during the war, who sacrificed themselves for the country and always believed in victory."-VNA

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