VHM_0123

Descriptive title

Army Officer Uniform

Object type(s)

Material(s)

Description

Wool military officer uniform belonging to Phạm Văn Loa. He had the uniform from the time he was about 20 years old and serving in the French military, kept it after moving to South Vietnam, and later brought it with him to the United States. The jacket still has its original cord and an interior label reading “army officials uniforms.”

Collection

Vietnamese Heritage Museum

Donor(s)

Phạm Văn Loa

Current location

Vietnamese Heritage Museum

Rights description

Object donated to the Vietnamese Heritage Museum by Christina Le on behalf of Phạm Văn Loa

Data license

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Timeline

Army Officer uniform origin

Vietnam

Pre-1975

Used by Phạm Văn Loa during his military service beginning around age 20.
Army Officer uniform departure from Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City

In Transit

June 23, 1989

Departed Ho Chi Minh City for the United States with Phạm Văn Loa, his wife and youngest daughter.
Army Officer uniform processing in Thailand

Bangkok

In Transit

June 23-27, 1989

Stayed in Bangkok, Thailand, for four days to complete medical clearance and other processing requirements.
Army Officer uniform transit through Japan

Japan

In Transit

June 27, 1989

Continued the flight to the United States, changing planes in Japan.
Army Officer uniform arrived in the United States

Los Angeles, CA USA

Resettlement

Late June-early July 1989

Arrived at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Army Officer uniform donated to the Vietnamese Heritage Museum

Garden Grove, CA, USA

July 19, 2025

Donated by his daughter, Christina Le, on July 19, 2025, in Garden Grove, California.