Michael Do
Nine months ago, on June 25, 2022, a group of dozens of Vietnamese Americans from Fort Worth arrived at Mineral Wells to attend the Opening Ceremony of The National Vietnam War Museum. Mineral Wells is a small city that is located about 40 miles west of Fort Worth. Viewing several photos taken at the venue, I was somewhat disappointed when seeing some exhibits on our enemies but a very rare thing about the ARVN’s soldiers who played the major role and suffered the ultimate sacrifice in the Vietnam War. I wrote an article to express my sadness and published it on the web and in many Vietnamese papers and magazines.
The Museum Board might know my complaint!
This month, March 2023, Mr. Wayne Sanderson reached out to the Vietnamese community! He sent an email letter to the leaders of the Vietnamese Community inviting them to an important meeting to discuss how the Vietnamese community would get involved in future museum activities.
Doctor Trong Phan (Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Vietnamese American Community of the USA) and his lady, Mr. Hanh Do and Thu Nga Do (Director of Saigon-Dallas Radio), Ms. Kim Oang Le (a member of the DFW Community) and I, Michael Do (ex-Chairman of the VAC-USA) were at the meeting that started at 2:00 pm, March 18, 2023. The gift shop is right in the main hall, where many boards and tables are displaying a variety of small items from the US Armed Forces such as pins, patches, hats, maps, books, etc. They are for sale to visitors.
Mr. John Hyatt walked the group around in the large hall to explain every exhibit. The exhibits are displayed according to the chronicle of the war.
At the meeting, Mr. Ean Tillett, the Museum Director, described the progress of his work in phase 1 that had been completed with the existing building. The second phase will start soon with a groundbreaking ceremony expected this fall. The project is to build an adjacent building and create more displaying booths. He said he would build a gallery that features a part of a busy street of Saigon in the area allocated to the Vietnamese side.
In phase 2, the museum will have more exhibits on the major battles and events such as Ranch Hand Operation, Ia Drang, Tonkin Gulf, CIA secret war, Vietnamization, Mau Than General Offense, Cambodian Incursion, Lam Son 719 Operation…
For the Vietnamese side, the museum will have booths or exhibits to introduce Vietnamese history and culture, Sino-Vietnam, Franco-Vietnam relationships, religious sects and conflicts, the Montagnards, North-South differences, the Vietnam War
It is a big project that requires great efforts in advertising, promoting, and most importantly, fundraising. We expect the groundbreaking ceremony will be a big day that may attract hundreds of attendees from both the American and Vietnamese communities.
Dr. Trong Phan and I were invited to join the Boards.
The following are some highlights of the museum quoted from the Museum website:
“The National Vietnam War Museum project was formalized in 1998 to develop a national venue that would create an atmosphere of learning about the Vietnam War era, and engage people of all ages, nationalities, and political points of view.
In 1999, the museum was incorporated as a 501(c) (3) corporation in the State of Texas and purchased a 12-acre site in Mineral Wells, Texas, approximately 50 miles west of Fort Worth. In addition to establishing a Board of Directors, the museum established a Board of Visitors, prominent individuals selected to advise the Board of Directors and promote the museum’s cause. The museum has also established sponsorship relationships with a number of local and national veterans’ organizations to promote the museum to their memberships.
The museum has been designed to tell the unbiased story of the approximately 2.7 million servicemen and women who served there; the civilian contractors who supported their efforts; the Vietnamese people, their culture and history; and those on the home front, both those who supported and those who protested the war.”
Source: “About The National Vietnam War Museum”
https://www.nationalvnwarmuseum.org/the-museum-today.html
Although Mineral Wells is a small city, it is surrounded by many points of interest and historic landmarks such as Fort Wolter, the former big army base where hundreds of South Vietnamese helicopter pilots were trained, Clark Gardens Botanical Park, Lake Mineral Wells State Park, Old Jail Museum, Little Rock Schoolhouse Museum, W.K. Gordon Center for Industrial History, Possum Kingdom State Park…
By visiting the National Vietnam War Museum, we will recall so many unforgettable memories; contributing to the museum project is an effective way to preserve our heroic struggle in the past and pass it down to the next generations.
We will send out a notification on how you can help with the project. We need you to donate the war-related items that you brought when leaving Vietnam for the United State
Here are the physical address, website, and Facebook page of The National Vietnam War Museum
12685 Mineral Wells Highway, Weatherford, Texas (don’t send letters or packages to this address)
vacusa.wordpress.com 