Archival Records on the Use of Chemical Agents during the Vietnam War at National Archives Center III: Value and Accessibility

Abstract

The use of chemical agents during the Vietnam War and their long-term consequences for the environment and human health have been studied from many perspectives. However, much of the existing scholarship has relied mainly on empirical data, military records, and archival sources held in the United States. Relevant records preserved in Vietnamese archives have received comparatively limited scholarly attention and use. Based on an archival survey at National Archives Center III, one of Vietnam’s five National Archives Centers, this study identifies and organizes major groups of records relating to the use of chemical agents during the Vietnam War. It also examines records created through post-war investigations, research, and efforts to address the consequences of the war. The article outlines the contents of these records and analyzes their informational and evidential value for research on the history of the Vietnam War, environmental history, public health, and related interdisciplinary fields. It also assesses their accessibility and discusses issues concerning their use and digitization. By bringing this underused body of historical sources to the attention of the international scholarly community, the study broadens the documentary basis for research on the long-term legacies of the Vietnam War.