Fifty Years On: New Perspectives on the Vietnam Wars- GVWSI 2025 Conference
This event is a collaborative effort between the Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia and the Southeast Asia Initiative at Harvard University’s Asia Center.
In-Person Event
S010 Tsai Auditorium, CGIS
Conference Dates: October 3-4, 2025
Venue: CGIS South, Tsai Auditorium, 1730 Cambridge Street, MA 02138
The Harvard Global Vietnam Wars Studies Initiative (GVWSI) invites you to a two-day conference that brings together informed assessments from around the globe to provide an evidence-based, in-depth exploration of this multifaceted war and its complex legacies.
Fifty years have passed since North Vietnamese tanks rolled into Saigon in 1975, after decades of set-piece battles, guerrilla warfare involving a dozen combatant nations, and overlapping civil conflicts in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Although vigorously debated in the United States, the war’s meanings and implications remain unresolved. Vietnamese and other international perspectives are rarely studied, as most current research focuses primarily on American perceptions, experiences, and memories. As a result, we still struggle to tell the broader tragedy of the conflict, even as its ashes and embers continue to spread across the globe and through generations.
A deeper understanding of the wars’ global impact is vital for history and is also timely and essential for addressing current and future conflicts. Above all, we seek to foster intellectual, historical, and cultural exchanges across nations, communities, and generations with a shared commitment to scholarship, reconciliation, and healing.
Conference Agenda
Day 1: Friday, October 3 — Location: S010 Tsai Auditorium
7:30am - 8:30am
Day 1 Check-in
Breakfast and check-in for audience and participants in Tsai Auditorium lobby.
8:30am - 8:50am
Opening Address
9:00am - 10:00am
Panel 1: The United States
- Christopher Goscha, Moderator
- David Biggs
- Geoffrey Wawro
10:10am - 11:30am
Panel 2: South Vietnam
- Edward Miller, Moderator
- Sean Fear
- Edwin Moise
- Phi Van Nguyen
11:35pm - 12:40pm
Keynote and Special Announcement
- Fredrik Logevall, Harvard University’s Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs, “Reflections on America’s War”
- Hai Nguyen, GVWSI Co-Founder and Director, “Introduction to GVWSI”
- Frank Jao, GVWSI Founding Donor, Donor Advisory Group member, Harvard Kennedy School Dean’s Council Leadership Circle member, “Special Announcement”
12:45pm - 1:45pm
Lunch
2:00pm - 3:20pm
Panel 3: North Vietnam
- Pierre Asselin, Moderator
- Dang Kim Son
- Ho Son Dai
- Nguyen Manh Ha
3:30pm - 4:50pm
Panel 4: International Perspectives
- James Hershberg, Moderator
- Ku Su Jeong
- Mitsuaki Ono
- Yu Yao
5:00pm - 6:20pm
Roundtable 1: War Legacies and Reconciliation
- James Willbanks, Moderator
- Nguyen Thanh Thuy
- Hoang Thi Khanh
- Takeshi Furumoto
- Tran Ngoc Hue
Day 2: Saturday, October 4 — Location: S010 Tsai Auditorium
7:30am - 8:30am
Day Two Check-in
Breakfast and check-in for audience and participants in the Tsai Auditorium lobby.
8:30am - 9:50am
Panel 5: Battlefield Experience, Conflict, and Memory
- Nguyen Nathalie Huynh Chau, Moderator
- Li Xiao Bing
- Lo Khac Tam
- Ron Milam
10:00am - 11:20am
Panel 6: Gender and Culture
- Heather Stur, Moderator
- Jane Griffith
- Ann Marie Leshkowich and Martina Nguyen
- Maya Nguyen
11:30pm - 12:30pm
Lunch
12:40pm - 2:00pm
Panel 7: The War at Home in America
- Christian Appy, Moderator
- Jacob Ganz
- Connor Mitchell
- Chester Pach
2:00pm - 3:15pm
Roundtable 2: The Assessment
- Robert Brigham, Moderator
- Mark Lawrence
- Justin Simundson
- Kenneth Quinn
- Andrew Wiest
3:25pm - 4:00pm
Closing Remarks
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I register for the Conference?
You can register for the conference at this link. Registering your attendance guarantees breakfast and lunch.
Parking
There are multiple options for those driving.
- Permits for parking at the Broadway Garage must be purchased online, through the Harvard Campus Services system. Parking permits range in price from $11-$22.
- Steps for reserving a permit:
- Go to Harvard University Operations Services
- Register as a “Visitor”
- Search Parking
- Select the reason for your visit from the drop-down menu.
- Enter the desired date and select the type of permit needed (Weekday or Weekend) from the drop-down menu.
- If you need an accessible parking space, please select that from the Amenity drop down menu.
- In the Harvard University Destination field, enter CGIS.
- Select a parking location. The Broadway Garage located at 7 Felton Street is the closest garage to the CGIS but spaces may not always be available. Note the Broadway garage is closed on weekends.
- Choose your lot/garage and click Add to Cart.
- Click the Cart icon in the upper right to pay
- Print out the permit
- Remember to bring your printed permit when you park as you will need to present this to the attendant in the garage booth for admittance and then placed on your dashboard.
- For questions related to permits, please contact Harvard Campus Services at 617-496-7827.
- Steps for reserving a permit:
- Albeit limited, there is two-hour street meter parking available surrounding the building.
Campus Navigation
The Fifty Years On: New Perspectives on the Vietnam Wars Conference is located
at Tsai Auditorium in the Center for Global and International Studies (CGIS) at
1730 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA 02138.
- Public Transportation Options
- MBTA Bus
- The following MBTA bus routes serve the Harvard Square area:
Routes 1, 66, 68, 69, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 77, 86
- The following MBTA bus routes serve the Harvard Square area:
- MBTA Train
- Tsai Auditorium (CGIS) is about a 10-minute walk from Harvard
Square Station on the red line.
- Tsai Auditorium (CGIS) is about a 10-minute walk from Harvard
- MBTA Bus
Accessibility
The Fifty Years On: New Perspectives on the Vietnam Wars is committed to
providing an accessible conference to all participants. Tsai Auditorium is
wheelchair accessible and designed to accommodate individuals with physical
disabilities. If you have any accessibility requirements or need accommodations
to fully participate in this event, please contact us at GVWSI@hks.harvard.edu.
Is food provided throughout the Conference?
Breakfast, lunch, and coffee breaks will be provided both days of the Conference.
Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options will be available. Please list your food
allergies and restrictions upon registration.
How do I Connect to Wi-Fi while at the Conference?
To connect to Harvard wireless as a visitor:
1. Connect your computer to the Harvard University wireless network.
2. Go to https://getonline.harvard.edu/ in your web browser and click I am a
Guest.
3. Click Register for Guest Access.
4. Fill out your Name, Phone Number, and Email Address, and select the box to
agree to the terms of use. Click Login to receive your credentials.
5. Your Guest Credentials will now be shown and you can click login to gain
network access. Once logged in you will be online and can browse the
internet.
For additional help, you can visit Guest Wireless Access or you can call 617-495-7777.
What if my question is not listed on here?
Please feel free to reach out directly to the GVWSI Team at
GVWSI@hks.harvard.edu.