The Story Behind a Gift 

The Founding Story of Hanoi-Amsterdam High School?

(Source: researched, collected, and compiled by Mr. Phan Phuong Dat – Amser 1985–1988 )

Everyone knows that when Hanoi–Amsterdam High School for the Gifted was established, it represented a new model of education in Hanoi, bringing together all specialized high school programs into one institution. The school officially began operations in September 1985 and was named Hanoi–Amsterdam in recognition of the funds that the people of the Netherlands — and Amsterdam in particular — had raised between 1973 and 1975.

However, until now, there has not been a detailed account of these events. In 2025, on the occasion of the school's 40th anniversary, I have set out to research and recount the story as truthfully as possible.

This article shares the story of the donations raised during three fundraising campaigns from 1973 to 1975, which were transferred to Vietnam around 1976. These funds were indeed intended for building a school — though the original plan was to construct Truong Dinh High School in Hai Ba Trung District.

This series of articles is dedicated to honoring the generosity of the Dutch people in general, and the people of Amsterdam in particular, towards Vietnam — on the occasion of both the 40th anniversary of Hanoi–Amsterdam High School and the 750th anniversary of the City of Amsterdam (1275–2025).

Italicized notes marked 'ppd' are personal annotations from the author.

Amsterdam Helpt Hanoi – The Story Behind a Gift 

Summary:
The movement opposing the United States and supporting North Vietnam in the Netherlands lasted for about 10 years, from 1965 to 1975. Between January 1973 and December 1975, the Amsterdam City Council established the Amsterdam Helps Hanoi Committee (AHH – Amsterdam Helpt Hanoi). Together with other cities, the committee organized three fundraising campaigns, collecting a total of 540,000 guilders (florins) to support four projects in Vietnam, including the construction of a school in Hanoi.

According to a commitment made by Jan Pronk, the then Dutch Minister for Development Cooperation, the Ministry would provide an additional amount equal to three times the sum raised, bringing the total contribution to approximately 2.16 million guilders. This fund was later transferred to Vietnam and became the starting point for the establishment of Hanoi–Amsterdam High School.

Youth Movements for Vietnam

Before delving into the story of Amsterdam Helps Hanoi (AHH), it is important to first understand the broader context of the movements in the Netherlands opposing U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Initially, both the Dutch government and the public tended to support the United States in the Vietnam War, in part because of gratitude toward the U.S. for its role in World War II. However, this was the first war that truly “entered Dutch households,” as it was also the first time the Dutch could follow the conflict daily on television. Unlike print media, which offered limited visual coverage, television broadcasts exposed the public to graphic images of the war, provoking strong emotional reactions. These vivid images gradually shifted public opinion against U.S. intervention in Vietnam.

Although still small in scale at first, protest demonstrations began to emerge, mainly initiated by left-wing parties and organizations. In the early days, the Vietnam movement focused largely on disseminating information, as the Dutch people knew very little about what was happening in Vietnam. This was carried out through various publications and on-site informational sessions (known as teach-ins). Over time, this information campaign laid the foundation for the formation of a political and social organization dedicated entirely to the Vietnam War.

On September 25, 1965, a major joint event of several Dutch youth organizations took place: the founding meeting of the Youth Committee for Peace and Self-Determination for Vietnam (Jongerencomité voor vrede en zelfbeschikking voor Vietnam), commonly referred to as the Youth Committee for Vietnam (Jongerencomité Vietnam), held at the Krasnapolsky Hotel in Amsterdam. The meeting was attended by 800 delegates from 15 left-wing organizations. The committee’s first action was to organize a protest outside the U.S. Consulate at Museumplein (Museum Square) in Amsterdam. The demonstration lasted for nine days and nights, under the slogan: "One minute for every 10 American soldiers in Vietnam."

In the beginning, the activities remained small-scale and were more humanitarian than political in nature. One of the early initiatives was the Plastic Against Napalm (Plastic Contra Napalm) movement — a campaign to collect plastic materials for Vietnam to help counter the effects of napalm bombs. In February 1967, approximately 10,000 cubic meters of plastic were delivered to representatives of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam in East Berlin.

In 1966, youth organizations also launched a publication called Vietnam Bulletin, which reached thousands of subscribers and became an influential factor in the anti-war movement.

Vietnam became a central topic in the Dutch mass media, and the number of protest groups steadily grew. The Youth Committee for Vietnam eventually dissolved, with some organizations branching off to form Aktiegroep Vietnam (Vietnam Action Group) on April 21, 1966.

The peak period of the Vietnam Action Group was from mid-1966 to mid-1967. The group participated in the Dutch branch of the Vietnam Tribunal initiated by philosopher Bertrand Russell and several international intellectuals. During this period, protesters used the slogan “Johnson Moordenaar” (“Johnson Murderer”) to oppose U.S. President Johnson's bombing campaign in Vietnam. However, the use of the word "murderer" violated Dutch law, so protesters modified the slogan to “Johnson Molenaar” (“Johnson Miller”) as a legal workaround.

By 1967, the Committee for Vietnam (Comité voor Vietnam) was established, later renamed the National Committee for Vietnam (Nationaal Comité voor Vietnam). A prominent figure in the committee was Piet Nak (Pietro Nakkaro), who organized two major demonstrations in May and October 1967, attracting 10,000 and 15,000 participants respectively. Nak (1906–1996) had already become well known for leading the February 1941 protests against Nazi policies targeting Dutch Jews. He later shared that he decided to oppose the Vietnam War after witnessing television footage that reminded him of the Nazi occupation and the persecution of Jews during World War II. Nak’s committee also played a key role in spreading anti-war activities to other cities across the Netherlands.

During this period, alongside political organizations, purely humanitarian support groups for North Vietnam also emerged. Among the most notable were the Medical Committee Netherlands–Vietnam (MCNV), founded in 1967, and the Committee for Science and Technology for Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia (Komitee Wetenschap en Techniek voor Vietnam, Laos en Cambodja), established on June 18, 1971.

MCNV helped build the Dutch Hospital in Quang Tri and continues its activities to this day. Meanwhile, the KWT collaborated with Dutch universities to help establish ITIMS (International Training Institute for Materials Science) at Hanoi University of Science and Technology. (See related article on KWT here.)

In 1971, as the United States expanded its military operations into Laos and Cambodia and escalated bombings in North Vietnam, anti-war groups in the Netherlands organized Pop Night for Vietnam (Popnacht voor Vietnam), featuring 18 bands and raising 35,000 guilders. Following this, a new Youth Committee for Vietnam (Komitee Jongeren voor Vietnam — not to be confused with the earlier Jongerencomité voor Vietnam) was formed. A prominent figure in this committee was Jeroen de Vries.

The Youth Committee for Vietnam gathered 27 youth and student organizations under one umbrella. On April 29–30, 1972, the committee organized a major music event in support of Vietnam and in protest against the U.S., held at Amsterdam Forest (Amsterdamse Bos), attracting about 12,000 people despite heavy rain. The field where the event took place was later nicknamed Vietnam Meadow (Vietnamweide) until it was converted into tennis courts in 1996.

Another activity organized by the committee was the campaign "Wallets Open, Dikes Repaired" (Portemonnee Open, Dijken Dicht), held from October 23 to 28, 1972. This fundraising campaign aimed to support North Vietnam in repairing its dike system, which had been severely damaged by U.S. airstrikes earlier that year. 

Public outrage in the Netherlands reached its peak following the U.S. bombing of Hanoi on Christmas Eve. This led to a massive demonstration on January 6, 1973, in Utrecht, with estimated participation ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 people. It was the largest protest in the Netherlands since World War II and marked the climax of the Dutch anti–Vietnam War movement (archival video available).

Shortly afterward, on January 27, the Paris Peace Accords were signed, and the United States completely withdrew from Vietnam.

The peak of anti-American protests in January 1973 directly triggered the launch of the Amsterdam Helps Hanoi campaign, which would run from January 1973 through the end of 1975.

On January 29, 1973, the Amsterdam City Council circulated an internal memorandum to the entire Council, issued a response to the Youth Committee for Vietnam, and informed the Dutch Ministry of the Interior. The internal memorandum included a proposal for a large-scale fundraising campaign:

Could discussions be held with the Medical Committee Netherlands–Vietnam (MCNV) regarding the organization of a large-scale fundraising campaign among the citizens of Amsterdam in support of Amsterdam's aid efforts for Hanoi? If such a campaign proves successful, in addition to practical support, financial contributions could also be made. This would give the establishment of these contacts even greater significance.

On February 5, 1973, the Amsterdam City Council sent official notifications of its decision to the City of Hanoi, to Washington, to the U.S. Embassy in the Netherlands, and to the North Vietnamese diplomatic delegation in Paris. The letter sent to Hanoi included the following passage: 

To the Honorable Mayor,

At its meeting on January 17, 1973, the Amsterdam City Council adopted a resolution concerning the developments in the war in Vietnam.

In this resolution, the City Council expressed the view that hostilities must cease and peace must be established so that the people of the country may determine their own future.

The City Council resolved to support all efforts aimed at achieving this objective and to explore the technical and material resources that the City of Amsterdam could mobilize to assist urban communities devastated by the war in Vietnam.

On February 9, 1973, during a City Council meeting, the Alderman for Education reported on discussions held with the Youth Committee for Vietnam, mentioning that: 

…Initiatives have been suggested, such as: a school in Amsterdam sponsoring a school in Hanoi. The Youth Committee proposed that, within the framework of the Amsterdam Helps Hanoi campaign, an assessment should be conducted to identify Hanoi’s educational needs, and that further activities should be coordinated through channels established by the Amsterdam city government in cooperation with Hanoi. 

On February 20, 1973, the Amsterdam City Council sent a letter to the North Vietnamese diplomatic delegation in Paris, proposing to send a delegation to meet in Paris on March 12.

Thus, Amsterdam Helps Hanoi (AHH) was officially established and formally communicated to all relevant parties. The next phase would be the first concrete actions for implementation.

First Fundraising Campaign: March 12–17, 1973 

On March 2, 1973, the newspaper Trouw published an article titled “Amsterdam Helps Rebuild Hanoi” (Amsterdam helpt bij herbouw Hanoi). The article announced that a public fundraising campaign would be held from March 12 to 17, with the funds to be allocated for construction projects in Hanoi (though the school was not yet specifically mentioned at that time — ppd).

The article also noted that a wooden structure would be erected at Dam Square to promote the campaign, and billboards would be displayed on bridges throughout Amsterdam.

On March 12, 1973, an Amsterdam city delegation, including Mayor Samkalden and two colleagues, traveled to Paris to meet with the North Vietnamese diplomatic delegation, which included Nguyễn Tuấn Liêu (Counselor) and Hồ Nam (Second Secretary). The Amsterdam delegation inquired how they could assist North Vietnam and how direct contact with Hanoi could be established. They also requested the Vietnamese diplomatic delegation to deliver a letter to the Hanoi city authorities.

The Vietnamese side greatly appreciated Amsterdam's goodwill, especially since the City Council’s resolution had been adopted even before the Paris Peace Accords were signed (January 27, 1973). The two parties also discussed potential areas of support, such as water supply and drainage, healthcare, and the construction of public facilities.

On the same day, March 12, the fundraising campaign in Amsterdam officially began. On March 13, Deputy Mayor Han Lammers delivered the following speech:

Our city wishes to assist Hanoi — the capital of North Vietnam — in its reconstruction and recovery. Hanoi has suffered immense sorrow under the bombings carried out by the United States. These bombings were intended to suppress, hinder, and if possible, destroy the liberation movement in Vietnam. But they have failed.

Vietnam has finally emerged from decades of oppression and resistance, and now has the opportunity to follow its own path as an independent nation. However, this new chapter in their history begins under the most difficult circumstances imaginable. The countryside is severely devastated, fields have been burned, and cities destroyed.

Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, wishes to contribute to this recovery. Therefore, we — the city government — have established contact with the North Vietnamese delegation in Paris. Today, Mayor Samkalden and his colleague Mr. van der Eijden are in Paris to discuss the most practical forms of support we can offer.

The meeting in Paris was held with one clear objective: Amsterdam commits to providing direct support to specific projects in Hanoi. If our municipal services and technical experts can be of assistance, we will act. But above all, we recognize that a great deal of financial resources is required.

Therefore, I call upon the people of Amsterdam to stand in solidarity with the people of Hanoi. In doing so, we affirm the perseverance of those who have long struggled for peace — so that future generations may enjoy that peace.

March 14 & 17, 1973: Amsterdam Discusses Next Steps

On March 14 and 17, 1973, in internal meetings, the Amsterdam City Council discussed the next steps for supporting North Vietnam. It was noted that the war was not yet over and that reconstruction would only fully begin after the war ended. While some cities in the Netherlands wished to support North Vietnam, others preferred to support South Vietnam; Amsterdam decided to limit its efforts to assisting Hanoi.

The Council also determined that the recent fundraising campaign was only the beginning. As a result, the campaign raised 97,000 guilders — "twice as much as had ever been raised in one week in Amsterdam."

However, not everything went smoothly. From March 22 to 24, debates emerged in newspapers Telegraaf and Trouw, questioning whether Mayor Samkalden had concealed conditions set by North Vietnam — specifically, that Amsterdam must express support for North Vietnam. These controversies highlighted some of the obstacles and differing public opinions that complicated the fundraising efforts.

April 13, 1973: Official Update Sent to Hanoi

On April 13, 1973, Amsterdam sent a letter to Hanoi reporting on the results of the March 12 meeting with the North Vietnamese diplomatic delegation in Paris and listing several areas where Amsterdam could provide support. The letter mentioned the possibility of constructing a school in the Kham Thien district, which had been heavily damaged in the December 1972 bombings.

On April 16 and 18, Amsterdam also sent letters to other Dutch municipalities that had expressed interest in joining the reconstruction efforts for Hanoi.

On May 1, 1973, the Amsterdam Helps Hanoi (AHH) Committee reported that the total amount raised from the campaign had reached 169,500 guilde 

Second Fundraising Campaign: November 17–25, 1973 

From November 17 to 20, two representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy — Phan Huy Thông (real name: Nhữ Hoài Ngọc — ppd) and Lê Đình Nhân — visited Amsterdam to meet with the City Council and the AHH Committee to discuss the allocation of the funds raised.

Both sides agreed that the money would be used for the reconstruction of Truong Dinh High School in Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi. On this occasion, the City of Amsterdam presented the two representatives with commemorative gifts.

In total, the two fundraising campaigns collected 225,000 guilders.

On April 9, 1974, Amsterdam sent a letter to Hanoi reporting on the meetings with Mr. Nhân and Mr. Thông, and informing them of the total amount raised through both campaigns. The letter also officially reconfirmed Amsterdam's commitment to support the construction of Truong Dinh High School.

During April and May 1974, Amsterdam called upon other Dutch cities to contribute to the Truong Dinh High School construction project. The participating cities included Landsmeer, Vlaardingen, Middelburg, Groningen, Voorburg, The Hague, and Zaanstad. 

Minister Pronk’s Commitment and the Participation of Other Cities 

August 30, 1974: Amsterdam Requests National Funding

On August 30, 1974, the Amsterdam City Council sent a letter to Minister for Development Cooperation Jan Pronk, stating that approximately 2.25 million guilders would be needed to assist Hanoi, of which 250,000 had already been raised. Amsterdam requested that the Ministry allocate funds from its 1975 budget for the project, as no funds remained in the 1974 budget.

November 19, 1974: Minister Pronk Commits to 3-to-1 Matching Funds

At a meeting on November 19, 1974, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the AHH campaign, Minister Pronk committed that for every part contributed by local municipalities, the Ministry would contribute three parts, up to a ceiling of 2.5 million guilders for the Truong Dinh High School project. Both sides also discussed inviting a representative from Hanoi to the Netherlands in 1975, to participate in Amsterdam’s 700th anniversary celebration and to officially receive the funding. It was agreed that Amsterdam would inform other Dutch municipalities interested in supporting the project.

April 1975: Nationwide Joint Fundraising Campaign Planned

In April 1975, Amsterdam and the participating cities agreed to organize a large, simultaneous fundraising campaign across all municipalities on November 8. In an intercity committee meeting of eight cities, four projects were assigned to specific cities:

• Groningen: school construction — 135,000 raised, 800,000 needed

• Zwolle: school construction — 48,000 raised, 400,000 needed

• Utrecht: clinic construction — 110,000 raised, 400,000 needed

• Amsterdam: school construction — 320,000 raised, 2.5 million needed

May 28, 1975: AHH Committee Meeting

On May 28, 1975, the AHH Committee met and planned to send a delegation to Hanoi in early November.

June 17, 1975: Rotterdam Transfers Funds

On June 17, 1975, Rotterdam announced it would transfer 28,600 guilders from its "Rotterdam Helps Haiphong" program to the AHH fund, instead of donating it directly to Haiphong.

July 18, 1975: Government Approval of Four Projects

On July 18, 1975, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry for Development Cooperation officially approved funding for four projects:

• Hanoi: Reconstruction of Truong Dinh High School in Hai Ba Trung District — budget: 2.5 million guilders

• Thai Binh: Construction and equipping of Vu Thu High School — budget: 800,000 guilders

• Thanh Hoa: Construction and equipping of a high school — budget: 450,000 guilders

• Quang Tri: Construction and equipping of an ophthalmology department at the Dutch Hospital in Quang Tri — budget: 200,000 guilders

The government emphasized that all funding disbursements had to be completed within 1975.

Third Fundraising Campaign: November 3–8, 1975

Conclusion of the AHH Program

On September 1, 1975, the AHH Committee sent letters to participating cities, calling on them to prepare for the final fundraising campaign, scheduled for the week of November 3–8.

On September 19, 1975, Amsterdam sent a letter to Hanoi informing them of the four approved aid projects, the upcoming nationwide fundraising campaign from November 3–8, and the fact that Minister Pronk had agreed to quadruple the total amount raised through government matching funds.

Amsterdam also proposed sending a two-person delegation to Hanoi from October 27 to November 1, and requested permission for a television crew from the VARA broadcasting organization to accompany the delegation for filming.

To prepare for the nationwide fundraising campaign, the AHH Committee distributed leaflets between September and October 1975. The section regarding Truong Dinh school stated:  

The reconstruction of Truong Dinh School in Hanoi. This is a secondary school located in one of the city's most densely populated residential areas. The school will have approximately 40 classrooms and accommodate about 1,500 students. The total estimated reconstruction cost is 2.5 million guilders. 

Once again, difficulties arose. On October 21, 1975, the Amsterdam City Council received a letter of protest from the South Vietnam Relief Committee. This committee argued that the four aid projects were overly focused on North Vietnam and expressed concerns regarding certain actions taken by the North Vietnamese government toward South Vietnamese citizens, such as forced re-education programs.

Between October 27 and November 1, a two-person delegation visited Hanoi, consisting of Deputy Mayor for Education Rudi v.d. Velde and education official Kranenburg. The VARA television crew was not invited to join the delegation. (No reports from this trip have been found in the Amsterdam city archives — ppd.)

From November 3 to 8, the nationwide fundraising campaign took place. Activities included a benefit concert on November 4, a Vietnam night at Karel du Jardinstraat, street fundraising throughout Amsterdam on Saturday afternoon, November 8, and an evening rally at the Paradiso cultural center where preliminary results were announced.

On November 10, 1975, Mayor Samkalden sent a letter to Trần Duy Hưng thanking him for hosting Amsterdam’s delegation and reporting on the fundraising progress. This is the last letter from Amsterdam to Hanoi that the author has found in the Amsterdam city archives.

On December 12, the AHH Committee sent a letter to the Amsterdam City Council expressing its gratitude for the support provided during the campaign. After three years, the Amsterdam Helps Hanoi program officially came to a close.

On December 15, the AHH Committee finalized the financial balance sheet for the entire program from 1973 to 1975. A total of 539,361.73 guilders had been raised. As committed, the Ministry for Development Cooperation would contribute an additional three times this amount, bringing the total to approximately 2.16 million guilders.

The author has not located any official documents confirming this final amount. However, in the book The Lion and the Dragon, it is mentioned: “In the summer of 1976, Minister Pronk decided to grant 100 million guilders in aid to the unified Vietnam.” (p. 221)

The book also notes that, for various reasons, these funds could not be fully disbursed. It was not until 1995 that the Netherlands resumed development aid to Vietnam — and at that time, Jan Pronk once again served as the Dutch Minister for Development Cooperation.

In his 2005 book “The Ho Chi Minh Campaign in the Heart of Paris,” Võ Văn Sung, former Vietnamese Ambassador to France and concurrently to the Netherlands, mentioned Jan Pronk: “It was during this period (early 1975 — ppd) that I had the opportunity to meet Minister Pronk, who later became a very good friend of Vietnam.”

Sadly, there are very few articles in Vietnam that recognize Jan Pronk — a person who quietly offered significant support to the country.

Cooperation in the 2010s 

In 2011, Ms. Lê Thị Oanh (then Vice Principal, later Principal of Hanoi–Amsterdam High School) led a student delegation to Amsterdam and established a partnership with Amsterdamse Barlaeus Gymnasium for long-term student exchanges. However, the program lasted only 2–3 years, as Dutch was the primary language of instruction at Barlaeus Gymnasium, while the Vietnamese students preferred to study in English. 

Some Open Questions 

There are still several unanswered questions:

• What was the final amount transferred by the Netherlands to Hanoi, after the additional funding from the Ministry for Development Cooperation?

• Although initially four projects were mentioned, in the end, the total funding seemed to align closely with the amount needed for the school construction in Hanoi. Was all the money ultimately allocated to Hanoi?

• When exactly was the money transferred to Vietnam?

This article will be updated if further information becomes available to clarify these questions. If any reader has additional information, please contact us (see contact details on the About page).

Sources Used in This Article 

• Archives of the City of Amsterdam (folders 896–897: Stukken betreffende steunverlening door de gemeente Amsterdam aan Vietnam, met name aan Hanoi, 1973–1975; and folder 898: Verzameldossier Vietnam, 1974–1979).
  (Thanks to ChatGPT and Gemini, the author was able to translate these archival materials into Vietnamese.)

• Photo archives of the Dutch National Archives, search keyword: “Vietnam”

• Elke Marloes Weesjes, Children of the Red Flag: Growing Up in a Communist Family During the Cold War — A Comparative Analysis of the British and Dutch Communist Movement (PhD thesis), University of Sussex, September 2010 (pp. 115–118)

• Two articles by Peter van Eekert on Historiek.net:

  • De Nederlandse Vietnambeweging 1965–1975 (January 2024)

  • De Nederlandse Vietnambeweging: verbreding en hulpacties (August 2024)

• Vietnam Amsterdam Historische banden, City of Amsterdam Archives, 2013

• The Lion and the Dragon: Four Centuries of Dutch–Vietnamese Relations, Consulate General of the Netherlands in Ho Chi Minh City, The Gioi Publishers, 2008 (print edition)

• Tegen de oorlog in Vietnam, a graphic project by Jeroen de Vries

• Võ Văn Sung, The Ho Chi Minh Campaign in the Heart of Paris, 2005 (print edition).
  (Mr. Sung served as Vietnam’s Ambassador to France and concurrently to several countries, including the Netherlands. In his book, he mentions figures such as Nguyễn Tuấn Liên, Lê Đình Nhân, Hồ Nam, and Jan Pronk.)

• Hồ Nam, Sự khởi đầu và bước phát triển (The Beginning and the Development), Hanoi Moi Newspaper, November 26, 1995.
  (*This article mentions several activities between the North Vietnamese diplomatic delegation and Amsterdam, though some dates and details may be inaccurate — ppd.)