Tribute to those who hung the flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam in France

On the afternoon of November 18, the Department of Information and Communications of Ho Chi Minh City organized a meeting to pay tribute to a group of people who hung the flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam in France in 1969, to protest the war and support peace for the Vietnamese people.

They were two Swiss friends, Mr. Olivier Parriaux and Mr. Bernard Bachelard. They were members of a group of three people who courageously raised the flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (NLF) on top of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (France) on January 18 and 19, 1969 to protest the war and support peace for the Vietnamese people.

Prof. Dr. Trinh Quang Phu - Director of the Institute for Oriental Development Studies shared at the meeting and exchange.

At the meeting, Prof. Dr. Trinh Quang Phu - Director of the Institute for Oriental Development Studies said that in January 1969, Professor Phu was a journalist. He was very moved when he heard that there were foreign friends who had bravely hung the flag of the National Liberation Front of Vietnam in France to protest the war and support peace for the Vietnamese people.

According to Professor Trinh Quang Phu, this visit of the two Swiss friends is an opportunity for the characters to feel more clearly the changes of Ho Chi Minh City in particular and Vietnam in general after the painful years of war.

The visit is especially meaningful in the context of Vietnam preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of national reunification. It is a moment to look back at the achievements that Vietnam has made, and at the same time express gratitude to the friends who have accompanied Vietnam throughout its history.

Their story takes place at the beginning of the peace negotiations for Vietnam, on January 18, 1969. At that time, Bernard Bachelard was 26 years old and a physical education teacher. For Noé Graff (24 years old), he was a law student and Olivier Parriaux (25 years old), he was a physics student.

They shared the same ideals, being young men who actively participated in movements against the war conducted by the Americans and the French before, in Vietnam.

According to Mr. Olivier Parriaux, as soon as they heard that US President Johnson announced a temporary halt to bombing North Vietnam and was ready to sit at the negotiating table, the three Swiss students realized that holding these negotiations in Paris would be an event worth "celebrating", because it would lead to international recognition of the NLF, after 9 years of its establishment.

Mr. Olivier Parriaux and Ms. Tran To Nga (interpreter and connector of international friends to Ho Chi Minh City) shared at the meeting.

To commemorate this event in an impressive and resonant way, they decided to choose a high location, a place full of humanity and respected by the whole world , which is Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

With the plan researched and built by Olivier Parriaux, Noé Graff taking charge of driving and guarding, Bernard Bachelard climbed to the top of the Notre Dame Cathedral with the support of Olivier Parriaux, hoisting the flag of the NLF on top of the highest tower.

It all happened within 30 hours. They returned home safely, not forgetting to stop by the Le Monde newspaper headquarters to send a press release about their actions.

The incident happened on January 19, 1969, the night before Nixon was inaugurated as president and six days before the four-party conference in Paris.

The half-red, half-blue flag with a bright yellow star of the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam fluttered in the blue sky, under the admiring eyes of the French people and international tourists . The event became a hot topic for the international press at that time.

After more than half a century, two of the three people who participated in raising the flag of the National Liberation Front of Vietnam on the top of the Notre Dame Cathedral tower were present in Ho Chi Minh City and shared their feelings and stories about the country where they had taken courageous actions to support peace.

Scene of the meeting and gratitude to those who hung the flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam in France.

Previously, on the evening of November 17, Mr. Nguyen Van Nen - Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee chaired a meeting with Mr. Olivier Parriaux and Mr. Bernard Bachelard.

Here, the Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, on behalf of the Vietnamese people who are enjoying independence and peace, respectfully expressed his deep gratitude to two Swiss friends who bravely fought for the cause of independence for Vietnam, including Mr. Bernard Bachelard and Mr. Olivier Parriaux.

During their visit to Ho Chi Minh City this time, witnesses supporting peace and ending the war in Vietnam also visited a number of historical relics and symbolic cultural works of the "city named after Uncle Ho".

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/tri-an-nhung-nguoi-treo-co-mat-tran-dan-toc-giai-phong-mien-nam-viet-nam-o-phap-10294715.html