French man donates rare books to Vietnam's museum

Frenchman Jean Marie Jacquemin, a private collector, has donated many valuable books and documents to the Vietnam Press Museum in Hanoi. One is the book 1968-1973 Verrières-le-Buisson: Safe Haven, a collection of articles by international journalists on the American War in Vietnam.

The archives were handed over to Tran Thi Kim Hoa, Director of the museum, during a recent visit to his home in Massy Commune on the outskirts of Paris.

The book, a collection of hundreds of articles published in French and foreign newspapers, was first published in 2013 to mark the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords and then reprinted in 2023 to mark the 50th anniversary of the signing.

Director of the Museum of Vietnamese Press Tran Thi Kim Hoa and Frenchman Jean Marie Jacquemin. Photo: VNA

The articles were written about the war in Vietnam, the negotiation of the Paris Peace Accords, one of the longest talks of the 20th century, and the presence of the delegation of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam in House No.49 (now No.17) on Cambacérès Street in the city of Verrières-le-Buisson during the negotiation and signing of the Accords from 1968 to 1973.

The book also devotes a section to recounting another arduous, hard, persistent, and never-ending struggle of the Vietnamese people against the consequences of Agent Orange sprayed by the US military during the war.

Jacquemin, who worked for more than 30 years in the printing office of Le Monde newspaper, has a hobby of collecting books, newspapers, documents, and stamps, including the struggle of the Vietnamese people.
With his love for the country and his particular respect for Nguyen Thi Binh, former Vice-President of Vietnam, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, and head of its negotiating delegation, he decided 15 years ago to collect articles, photos and documents relating to the war and the links between the town of Verrières-le-Buisson and its Vietnamese friends, who were its neighbors at the time.

The book is displayed in Paris in January. Photo: VNA

During a visit to Jacquemin on August 27, Tran Thi Kim Hoa presented him with the museum's certificate recognizing his contribution.

Hoa remarked that Jacquemin's gift is priceless because these documents testify to public opinion and the international press about the negotiation process to end the war and restore peace in Vietnam at that time.

Jacquemin said he was happy that the result of his many years of collecting and compiling had been received in such a respectful manner, and that he had donated the publications to all those who wished to see the materials he had collected on Vietnam.
As Vietnam will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its Revolutionary Press Day in 2025, he also donated to the museum a collection of photos and postcards depicting the production process of a Le Monde issue, from writing, editing, printing, distribution, and sales in the 1970s and 1980s.
She also described Jacquemin's collection of postcards, which was donated to the museum, as a surprising and very meaningful gift on the eve of the centennial of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Press Day.

As part of the activities to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords (January 27, 1973-2023), the Verrières-le-Buisson Historical Society organized an exhibition of paintings, photographs, and articles on the war collected by Jean-Marie Jacquemin.