The central province of Quang Tri announced on October 4 it will restore the old office of the Foreign Ministry at the headquarters of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, a national historic relic in Cam Lo district.

The headquarters of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam today in Quang Tri. (Photo: quangtri.gov.vn)

The 188-sqm old building will be restored to its original appearance. The building has six rooms, including the office of the Foreign Minister, and a conference room.

The restoration, which will start this month, is funded by the Vietnam Peace and Development Foundation (Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations) and the Oriental Research Development Institute (Union of Science and Technology Vietnam). It is expected to complete in 2019.

The construction of the headquarters of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam began on May 6, 1973 and completed a month later. 

The site was where the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam made its debut in the presence of tens of thousands of local people and soldiers in Quang Tri alongside representatives from 19 countries and many foreign journalists.

At the place, the Provisional Revolutionary Government also welcomed a number of state leaders, including late Cuban President Fidel Castro who made a historic visit to Quang Tri in 1973.

In 1985, a powerful typhoon struck Quang Tri, making most buildings in the headquarters completely collapse. 

The headquarters of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam was recognised as a national historic relic in 1991. 

So far, besides the office of the Foreign Ministry, the dining room for government members and the accommodation building for foreign ambassadors have yet to be restored.

The Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam was established in June, 1969 to provide a formal governmental structure to the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam and represent the Southern people.

Together with the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), and the United States, it signed the Paris Peace Accords on January 27, 1973 that ended the US’s direct military participation in the war in Vietnam. –VNA