Media veterans of the wars in Cambodia and Vietnam are gathering in late April to renew old friendships, visit the cities that played such an important part in their lives and remember those no longer with us.
There have been three previous reunions in Ho Chi Minh City — on the 20th, 25th and 30th anniversaries of the end of the Vietnam War on April 30, 1975. But this will be the first in Phnom Penh.
According to Carl Robinson, who is a key organizer of both reunions, at least 50 media veterans and family members will be attending the Phnom Penh event from April 20-23 and a similar number will be in Ho Chi Minh City for the April 28-30 reunion.
The Phnom Penh reunion has generated huge local interest and includes a welcome dinner by the Minister of Information, a tour of the National Museum, a visit to the Royal Palace and stroll along the bank of the Mekong River, the official dedication of a Memorial to Journalists killed in war and a visit to the Killing Fields.
The Vietnam reunion will include a welcome reception on the roof of the Majestic Hotel, a cruise on the Saigon River , a photo exhibition and several dinners. The Vietnamese Government in recent days has invited journalists to a reunion staged by the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City to mark the 35th anniversary of the end of the war which might lead to an official reception, possibly with Vietnamese, Soviet and Chinese journalists who covered the war from the other side.
Anyone interested in attending either event should contact Carl Robinson at robinsoncarl88@gmail.com