STRATFORD resident and Vietnam War veteran John Bryant was invited to attend a ceremony to commemorate the 79th anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day, which is on September 2 every year.

The celebration on Thursday, September 5, was held by the Vietnamese Embassy, with Mr Bryant invited to attend by Pham Hung Tam, the Vietnam Ambassador to Australia, with the reception at the Hyatt Hotel in Canberra.

Earlier this year, he helped uncover the bodies of 20 Vietnamese soldiers (known as martyrs) he helped kill in Vietnam at the Battle of Balmoral in 1968. This became a huge news story in Vietnam in particular, but is continuing to attract media attention worldwide. Mr Bryant’s efforts led to his invitation by Ambassador Tam to the National Day celebrations in Canberra.

According to Vietnam News Agency, Ambassador Tam highlighted Vietnam’s remarkable achievements as one of the world’s top 10 fastest-growing economies. The ambassador and the other attendees raised their glasses to celebrate the national day and the friendship between Australia and Vietnam.

“There were a lot of dignitaries present. The ambassador once again thanked me for finding the martyrs of Vietnam,” Mr Bryant said.

Mr Bryant said the Ambassador had thanked him in an email for bringing Australia and Vietnam closer together.

“I never thought we were apart. But Ambassador Tam did tell me that the involvement of Australia in Vietnam is not raw, but it is still in their minds. But we’re mates now,” he said.

It’s not the end of the story. There are still some Vietnam martyrs who have yet to have been found and Mr Bryant will return to the country in an attempt to help locate them.

Below: A letter from the Ambassador to Vietnam to John Bryant, dated May 30, 2024.

Dear Mr Bryant,

I am writing to thank you, both personally and officially, for the outstanding work you have done in assisting in the recovery of Vietnamese remains from the battles at FSPB Balmoral in 1968.

The amount of personal time and emotional energy you have devoted to this search has been inspiring, and to be able to achieve the closure of finding the bodies of the Vietnamese fallen after so many years of searching must have been a truly cathartic experience. Whilst we know that there are many more fallen still to be located, your achievements in helping to narrow down the search areas has resulted in great relief for the relatives of the fallen, and for the Vietnam People’s Army.

The bilateral relationship between Vietnam and Australia has progressed a long way since we established diplomatic relations in 1973. Our war legacy has on occasion been an irritant in that relationship, with difficulties over the years including commemorations at Long Tan, and in the display of symbols from the former southern regime. Your achievements with this search have gone an enormous way to improving that aspect of our bilateral relationship, and will have a meaningful impact into the future.

On behalf of the Government of Australia, the Australian Embassy, our Defence Section and myself – thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Andrew Goledzinowski