Organizer: Global Vietnam Studies at Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Type/Location: In Person / New York, NY
Description:
Join Global Vietnam Studies at Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University for a conference commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. This commemoration seeks to explore the contested history of the war, and features Tony Bui, Lan Cao, Thuy Dinh, Olga Dror, Mai Elliott, Sean Fear, Laurel Kendall, Ann Marie Leshkowich, Trinh Luu, Adrienne Le, Lien-Hang Nguyen, Martina Nguyen, John Phan, Hoi Trinh, Nu Anh Tran, Duy Linh Tu, and Tuong Vu.
This event is hosted by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute and co-sponsored by Columbia Journalism School. This event is part of the three-day series 50-30: From War to Peace in Vietnam and the United States, April 30 – May 2, 2025.
Conference Schedule:
11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.: Greetings and Opening Remarks
Lien-Hang Nguyen, Director, Weatherhead East Asian Institute
John Phan, Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures
Duy Linh Tu, Professor of Professional Practice in the Faculty of Journalism, Graduate School of Journalism
Tony Bui, Artist in Residence, Weatherhead East Asian Institute and Associate Professor, School of the Arts
11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.: New Histories of the Republic of Vietnam and the South Vietnamese Diaspora
Chair: Lien-Hang Nguyen, Columbia University
Moderator: Edward Miller, Dartmouth College
Speakers:
Mai Elliott, Pomona College (emeritus)
Adrienne Le, Columbia University
Sean Fear, Leeds University
1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.: South Vietnam/RVN/Diasporic Literature
Chair and Moderator: John Phan, Columbia University
Speakers:
Olga Dror, Texas A&M University
Nu Anh Tran, University of Connecticut
Trinh Luu, US-Vietnam Research Center, University of Oregon
Thuy Dinh, Coeditor, Da Mau Magazine; Editor-at-Large, Asymptote Magazine
2:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.: Sartorial Retrospective on the Republic of Vietnam: First Ladies’ Ao Dai
Chair: Lien-Hang Nguyen, Columbia University
Moderator: Laurel Kendall, Columbia University; Curator, Asian Ethnology, Curator-in-Charge of African and Pacific Ethnology, American Museum of Natural History
Speakers:
Martina Nguyen, Baruch College
Ann Marie Leshkowich, College of the Holy Cross
Tuong Vu, University of Oregon; Founding Director, US-Vietnam Research Center
3:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.: From the Fall of Saigon to Political Participation in the US
Chair and Moderator: Duy Linh Tu, Columbia University
Speakers:
Lan Cao, Chapman University School of Law
Hoi Trinh, Lawyer and Executive Director, Vietnamese Overseas Initiative for Conscience Empowerment
Registration:
To attend the event in person, please register here.
Co-sponsors: Columbia University School of the Arts, Columbia Journalism School, and Columbia Global