If you want to help with this project, but aren't sure exactly what to do, here's a suggestion:
You can send a letter yourself to the SRV (Socialist Republic of Vietnam)
Embassy in Washington (or to their consulate in San Francisco or to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, HCMC) with a reference to
this page (http://www.vietvet.org/plaquepage.htm) and ask them why the SRV refuses to return the
plaque and/or simply demand its return.
The more attention we can give this, and the more contacts that are made, the stronger the diplomatic case for demanding the return of the plaque to the American Embassy.
Thanks in advance for your help.
The address of the Vietnamese Embassy is:
Embassy of Vietnam
1233 20th Street NW
Suite 400
Washington DC 20036
Fax 202-861-0917
email: info@vietnamembassy-usa.org
The address of the Vietnamese Consulate is:
Consulate of Vietnam
1700 California Street
Suite 430
San Francisco CA 94109
FAX 415-922-1848
email: info@vietnamconsulate-sf.org
Another Agency in Ho Chi Minh City that could be helpful to this effort might be:
Deputy Director
Foreign Affairs Office Ho Chi Minh City
6 Alexandre de Rhodes, Dist 1
Ho Chi Minh City
Fax 84 8 8251436
Here is a sample demand that can be cut and pasted into an email to the Vietnam Ambassador and/or the Vietnam Consulate-General:
Mr. Ambassador,
I am writing you regarding the memorial plaque that was taken from
the US Embassy Saigon by the Vietnamese and which has been recently
located in a Vietnamese museum.
The full details of this situation can be found on the web site
http://www.vietvet.org/plaquepage.htm
As a veteran of the Vietnam War and as an American citizen, I
demand the return of this American property at the earliest possible time.
(your signature/name/contact information)
Please note: If you want the web site to be "clickable" in the email you send, you will need to include the appropriate HTML tags. If you use your browser to View the Page Source, the entire email wording, including the HTML tags, can be cut and pasted from there.
ALSO, you don't have to be a Vietnam Veteran to voice your outrage to the Vietnamese about the status of the plaque(s). You just
have to be inclined to speak up about how you feel. I sincerely invite you to do so.
-Rossie