The Vietnam Archive mission is to collect and preserve the documentary record of the Vietnam War. The first collection received by the Archive - a package of letters from a Navy hospital corpsman to his family while serving in Vietnam - symbolizes our commitment to preserve the record of individuals and provide greater understanding of their experiences. While the Vietnam Archive continues this commitment as its primary objective, it has expanded its collection policy to include records of veterans' organizations and scholars of the period as well as other individuals and organizations who share experiences from the war in Vietnam.

In addition to its mission of collecting materials concerning Vietnam, the Vietnam War, and Southeast Asia, the Vietnam Archive currently administers two projects, the Oral History Project and the Virtual Vietnam Archive. More information about both of these project can be found in their respective sections of this website.

There are two ways to conduct research using Vietnam Archive materials: in person and online, using the information provided in the Reference Information section and, more importantly, through the Virtual Vietnam Archive.

Over the past few years, the Vietnam Archive has made a concerted effort to record the histories of veterans organizations and their members. The Veterans' Association section of this website provides more information about our efforts in this area.

Contact information for all of the elements of the Vietnam Center & Archive is available. If you are having trouble finding what you are looking for on this website, try our help page, site map, or search page.