L’Historique de Verrières (Historical Association) in Verrières-le-Buisson city on the outskirts of Paris has opened an exhibition of photos, documents and newspapers on the wartime in Vietnam, as part of activities marking the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam (Paris Peace Accords) 50 years ago (January 27, 1973).
The delegation of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam to the Paris Conference stayed at No 49 (now No 17) Cambacérès Street in Verrières-le-Buisson for the negotiation process from 1968 to 1973.
Some 20 large-sized panels about the war and the accords are displayed at the city hall.
Visitors can also have a look at precious documents extracted from a collection of hundreds of articles by French and international press, which are collected into a book titled "1968-1973 Verrières-le-Buisson: Havre De Paix” (1968-1973 Verrières-le-Buisson: Haven of Peace).
Christian Gautier, one of the book's authors, said that when he was a child, his family lived opposite the house where the delegation stayed, and every May 1, he used to pick flowers - a symbol of good luck - to give to Nguyen Thi Binh who was then Foreign Minister, and Head of the Delegation of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam to the Paris Conference.
Gautier has the hobby of collecting newspaper articles, including many about Vietnam. Fifteen years ago, he thought he should gather together articles, pictures, and documents related to the Vietnam War, particularly those about the city of Verrières-le-Buisson and Vietnamese friends during that period.
According to him, he collected articles from both French and international newspapers and magazines, with all political trends, leftists or rightists, opposers or supporters, but almost all support peace for Vietnam.
On the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords, Christian Gautier and some of his friends published the book "1968-1973 Verrières-le-Buisson: Havre De Paix”.
For the celebration of the 50th anniversary, Historical Association in Verrières-le-Buisson city republished the book with added documents./.
