The friendship between people from both Vietnam and the US, especially of the young generations, would contribute to further the bilateral comprehensive partnership.
| Overview of the meeting. Photo: baoquocte.vn |
Chairwoman of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) Nguyen Phuong Nga stressed the view at a meeting marking 50th anniversary [1971-2021] of the People’s Peace Treaty between Vietnam and the US on April 20.
On this occasion, Nga expressed her gratefulness to the contribution of those individuals who had overcome difficulties to realize an initiative on a peace treaty between students of the two countries when both were at war.
The event was held through face-to-face and online meeting in Vietnam and the US, co-chaired by Representative of Vietnam Peace Commemoration Committee John McAuliff and Secretary General of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations Vietnam-US Society Bui Van Nghi.
Attending the event from the US were four individuals participating in the US student delegation signing the treaty in 1971, namely Douglas Hostetter, Larry Magid, Jay Craven and Rebecca Wilson.
| US and Vietnamese student peace delegations in Hanoi, Vietnam pose for a photo in December 1970. Source: Larrysworld.com |
Nguyen Thi Chau, former member of the Saigon – Gia Dinh (now Ho Chi Minh City) Youth Union expressed her thanks for the US students for their efforts for peace in Vietnam.
“US students showed their most sincere love for people in southern Vietnam and of the country in general,” said Chau.
Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Peace and Development Foundation Pham Van Chuong noted the anti-war movement of the US people and the People’s Peace Treaty itself has been unprecedented in the world’s history, showing “the desire for peace of not only the US people but also those from all over the world.”
| Delegation leader David Ifshin (l), president of the National Student Association signs the treaty. Source: Larrysworld.com |
The People’s Peace Treaty was signed in 1971 among representatives of the South Vietnam National Student Union, the South Vietnam Liberation Student Union, the North Vietnam Student Union, and the US National Student Association. The treaty indicated a joint-desire for peace from both Vietnamese and US students, while calling for the end of the war between the two countries. The People’s Peace Treaty had gained strong influence among US universities and encouraged anti-war movements of the youth and peace-lovers in the US, as well as for the fight for independence of Vietnamese people. |
