A campaign for the collection of memorabilia will be officially launched on July 27 said members of the organizing board at a press meeting held in Hanoi.

The board hopes to collect between 15,000 to 20,000 artefacts, souvenirs and other paraphernalia from the two wars against the French and the American troops to put on display in three years, which gives people plenty of time to prepare for their own souvenirs.

Although the war ended several decades ago, organizers still feel the urgent need to preserve memorabilia from the time of war so as to remind the young generation of the sacrifices valiant soldiers and ordinary people made.

They say these souvenirs from the resistance are at great risk of disappearing altogether and need to be collected, maintained and put on display so that future generations are reminded of the difficulties the nation faced during the wars.

To the officers, veterans and foreign friends who fought during the cruel war in Vietnam, the souvenirs have a special spiritual value that cannot be measured or replaced.

“This is the right time to instill a tradition of patriotism in the young and preserve traditional heritage,” says major-general Le Ma Luong, director of the Vietnam Military History Museum.

“The campaign is useful and holds significant social meaning as we wish introduce Vietnam’s glorious feats of arms and show respect for those who devoted themselves to the revolution,” Luong says.

“Foreigners too will get the chance to learn about Vietnam’s tradition and culture.”

The organizing board hopes to collect memorabilia like records, photos, films, fine art work, war equipment, weapons, battle gear, personal belongings, musical instruments, flags, martyr’s relics and more personal written testimonies like letters, notes, documents and diaries.

Items are being accepted at the Museum of Vietnam Military History, 28 Dien Bien Phu Street, Hanoi, veterans’ associations and the Ho Chi Minh communist youth union throughout the country.

The collection campaign will run in three years from July 27, 2008 until February 3, 2010, which marks the 80^th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam Communist Party. The collection will finally be put on display on May 19, 2010, on the occasion of the 120^th birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh.