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Andy Pham at the Viet Museum
Episode 2500 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature an explanation of why April 30 is the darkest day of the year for the Vietnamese Diaspora in America.
On January 27, 1973 The Paris Peace Accords were signed. The purpose of that document was to end the American War in Vietnam. It included such provisions as:
- The withdrawal of all U.S. and allied forces within sixty days.
- The return of prisoners of war parallel to the above.
- The clearing of mines from North Vietnamese ports by the U.S.
- The reunification of Vietnam through peaceful means without coercion or annexation by either party, and without foreign interference.
- The withdrawal of foreign troops from Laos and Cambodia.
The document did not live up to its expectations. A mere two years later on April 30, 2023, the murderous North Vietnamese communists disregarded the intent of the Paris Peace Accords by militarily invading South Vietnam and forever crushing the hopes or the South Vietnamese people of living in a free country.
To the day, the one million Vietnamese Diaspora who live in this country refer to the month of April as Black April because that is the month their lives were ripped apart and they had to leave their home country or face death and privation.
In 1976, Vietnamese refugee Vũ Văn Lộc founded the Immigration Resettlement and Cultural Center (IRCC) to provide educational and social services to the thousands of Vietnamese refugees coming to northern California. In 1990, he began to formally seek support to create a museum dedicated to the experiences of the Vietnamese community.
On March 14, 2006, the IRCC officially entered into an agreement with the City of San Jose and History Park San Jose, to establish the museum. The museum was established became known as The Việt Museum (Viện Bảo Tàng Việt Nam), also known as the Museum of the Boat People.
Listen to episode 2500 and discover more about why April 30 is the darkest day of the year for the Vietnamese Diaspora in America.
