Big surprise
Visiting the exhibition of National Achievements "80 years of independence - freedom - Happiness", the family of a veteran unexpectedly found the relatives' records.
Pham Ha My (Tu Liem Ward, Hanoi) and her parents accidentally found the file of the officer going to B (a collection of documents, papers, and personal souvenirs of officers and employees sent to the South to work in the resistance war against the US) of her grandfather - a veteran.
"My family passed by the exhibition area of the Ministry of Home Affairs and saw a notice board "searching for the personnel records to go to B". Up to now, the whole family does not have any documents or records of him, so we hope very much, Ha My choked up as she recounted.
At first, the family struggled to find a way to look it up, but the archivists enthusiastically guided them.
The moment we saw his grandfather's name in the officer file going to B, the whole family burst into tears. "My hands and feet were stifling, my mother cried, and my father was stunned. After that, his father told the staff about him and recorded it in the book of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Her hands were shaking, her handwriting was still blurred and full of emotion, Ha My shared.
Mr. Pham Van Thanh - son of veteran Pham Van Hua, said he was very touched and proud of his father, and at the same time sent his thanks to the staff of the National Archives Center III for supporting the family.
According to the family, veteran Pham Van Hua was a teacher who participated in the resistance war against the US, going to the South since the beginning of 1969, at that time his son was under a year old.
Mr. Pham Van Hua was arrested and deported to Con Dao, suffered many hardships, and lost all contact documents. For many years, the family had not had any information about him, and it seemed to have lost contact forever.
As a miracle, he returned when his son was seven years old. However, up to now, there are very few artifacts about him left, only a few old photos and passages passed down.
For a nephew like me who has never met him, seeing his photos at the exhibition is the most precious memory. I love and am extremely proud of it, Ha My shared.
"This year's independence Day will forever be the best memory of my life," the young girl said emotionally.
Witnessing the moment the family of veteran Pham Van Hua found the file, Ms. Tran Viet Hoa - Director of the National Archives Center III, said: "Everyone who witnessed that moment was very touched. We are also happy and feel that it was a very sacred moment when the National Archives Center III fulfilled its mission.
Unpriced archival Documents
The story of veteran Pham Van Hua's family is a vivid testament to the value of the B-led cadre records - a special source of documents that is being preserved almost intact at the National Archives Center III.
The Center currently holds about 72,000 records of officers going to B and is gradually returning them to relatives. People can look up the dossier of cadres going to B at http://www.luutru.gov.vn/hosodiB/.
According to the wartime regulations, each officer must send all records, documents, and personal souvenirs before entering the Southern battlefield to the state management agency - initially the Government Unity Committee.
Talking to Lao Dong, Ms. Viet Hoa said: "These are extremely valuable documents, mostly from civil servants such as teachers, doctors, nurses... Among them, there are volunteers who wrote volunteer petitions to join the Southern battlefield after the Geneva Agreement such as Dr. Dang Thuy Tram, poet Le Anh Xuan...".
According to her, bringing the system to look up the records of cadres going to B to the public in this exhibition not only helps many families find relatives' information, but also affirms its historical value and shows gratitude to the previous generation.
Currently, digitizing archival documents is an urgent requirement set by the State for the Center, to help people access information more conveniently and transparently.
However, the amount of documents that the National Archives Center III is managing is very large, lasting from 1945 to present and going through many difficult and war periods.
To date, only about 5% of documents have been digitized, of which the dossier of cadres going to B is only a small part of the total 13 km of archived documents. Currently, the file of the officer going to B has just stopped at the classification level and built a database to serve the search.
In the coming time, the Center will continue to promote digitalization, not only with the dossier of cadres going to B but also with many other groups of documents, especially documents related to meritorious people.
The exhibition "80 years of independence - freedom - Happiness" is one of the key activities to celebrate the 80th anniversary of National Day on September 2 (1945 - 2025). The event gathered hundreds of units, ministries, localities, and enterprises with thousands of artifacts, images, and documents, to recreate important historical milestones and outstanding achievements of the country.
The exhibition will extend its opening hours until September 15, 2025, creating more opportunities for people to experience and preserve valuable historical and cultural values.
