Talk Show with the Liaison Committee of the Camp Davis Military Joint Commission Veterans Association – The Joint Commission Responsible for Ensuring the Implementation of the Paris Agreement 1973

On May 14 and 18, 2026, within the framework of the "Vietnam's Foreign Policy 1945 - 1975" course, students of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam had the honor to attend a sharing session by members of the Liaison Committee of the Camp Davis Military Joint Commission Veterans Association – the Joint Commission tasked with struggling for the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

The session was attended by Colonel Dao Chi Cong, Head of the Liaison Committee, and Comrade Phan Duc Thang, Deputy Head of the Liaison Committee and former Interpreter Officer of the Four-Party Joint Military Delegation. This was a valuable opportunity for students not only to gain in-depth knowledge of Vietnam's diplomatic history but also to hear practical policy-implementation stories from historical witnesses—officers who directly participated in the struggle to enforce the Paris Agreement.

Opening the session, Colonel Dao Chi Cong briefly shared his career path prior to joining the Military Joint Commission and introduced the documentary film "The Sixth Army Corps" (Cánh quân thứ sáu). The film vividly reconstructed the special role of Camp Davis in the struggle to implement the Paris Agreement. Through the footage and the Colonel's accounts, students gained a deeper understanding of our forces' missions at Camp Davis: simultaneously struggling at the military negotiation table, gathering intelligence, monitoring enemy military activities, detecting signs of Paris Agreement violations, and contributing to preparing public opinion and spirit for the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising.

Following that, Comrade Phan Duc Thang delivered a highly detailed presentation on the struggle to implement the Paris Agreement from the perspective of a direct participant at Camp Davis. His insights into Vietnam's resolute stance regarding the withdrawal of US troops from the South, the struggles surrounding the return of prisoners of war (POWs), the organization of troop withdrawals, and the Saigon administration's reactions to the Paris Agreement helped students better visualize the fierce nature of the diplomatic front during this period.

In particular, stories about the repatriation of POWs, the organization of troop withdrawals, international media operations in Saigon, and the strategic role of Camp Davis demonstrated that the struggle to enforce the Paris Agreement did not only take place at the negotiation table but was a seamless combination of diplomacy, military action, media, and political struggle.

Beyond providing valuable historical documents and analysis, the sharing session helped students better comprehend the linkage between Vietnamese diplomatic history and contemporary foreign policy research. FIPAD would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to Colonel Dao Chi Cong and Comrade Phan Duc Thang for delivering such meaningful and practically rich insights to the students of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam./.

Some photos from the event: