On the afternoon of January 18, the Department of Information and Communications of Ho Chi Minh City held a meeting with Mr. Olivier Parriaux and Mr. Bernard Bachelard, two of the three people in the group that raised the flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam on top of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (1969), with the press.
This is an opportunity to meet and listen to the sharing of a group of brave Swiss people who hung flags on Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, seeking to protest the war and support peace for the Vietnamese people 55 years ago.
Although he is nearly 80 years old, the memories of the day the flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam was raised to the top of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris are still fresh in Olivier Parriaux's mind - like a vivid film of the historic moment that happened 55 years ago.
According to Mr. Olivier Parriaux, as soon as they heard that then US President Johnson had announced a temporary halt to bombing North Vietnam and was ready to sit at the negotiating table, three Swiss students (Olivier Parriaux, Bernard Bachelard, Noe Graff) realized that holding these negotiations in Paris would be an event worth "celebrating", because it would lead to international recognition of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam after 9 years of its establishment.
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.
The plan was researched and built by Mr. Olivier Parriaux, Mr. Noe Graff was in charge of driving and guarding, Mr. Bernard Bachelard climbed to the top of the Notre Dame Cathedral with the support of Olivier Parriaux, hoisting the flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam on the top of the highest tower, on January 19, 1969.
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.
Mr. Olivier Parriaux said that what he feared during the implementation of this plan was not that he and his teammates would be captured, but that he would not be able to successfully carry out this special mission.
"We see it as a walk on top of Notre Dame Cathedral, although the process of hanging the flag on the top of the cathedral's tower is not easy and is fraught with danger," said Mr. Olivier.
When asked about the motive that made him and his two friends decide to carry out such a shocking act in the world media, Mr. Olivier shared that they had three goals.
"First, to prepare international public opinion for the appearance of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam in Paris, then to "humiliate" the government of the Republic of Vietnam and finally to send a message of protest to Henry Kissinger (former Secretary of State, National Security Advisor of the United States at the time of signing the Paris Agreement)," said Mr. Olivier.
Mr. Olivier also emphasized that their actions stemmed from a strong political conscience and strong support for the just war of the Vietnamese people.
