Authorities of Tay Ho District in Hanoi have planned to restore the monument that commemorates the shooting down of Senator McCain, located by Truc Bach Lake.
Tay Ho District wants to relocate the monument to the area behind the railing of Truc Bach Lake to help create a more prominent front space for holding events.
The monumnet's design will be preserved, but its size will be increased to fit the new location. The material will be changed from the current cement to monolithic stone. The district plans to rebuild the pedestal for the monument.
The late Senator McCain monument in Hanoi (Photo by Phuong Uyen)
The area where the monument will be placed will be repaved and equipped with information boards. In addition, more green space and lighting will be provided.
The project will cost around VND1.9 billion (USD78,585) and will be funded from the district's budget. It is scheduled to be completed between 2024 and 2025.
McCain served in the US Air Force in its war in Vietnam. He joined the Rolling Thunder air campaign in 1967. He was taken prisoner after his plane was shot down on October 26, 1967. He was returned to the US in an exchange of prisoners in 1973, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
He was held at Hoa Prison during his time, which is now a museum that McCain visited many times.
McCain then worked hard later in his career to naturalise relations between Vietnam and the US and was seen as a friend and a peacemaker.
He returned to Vietnam many times to visit the monument, celebrating his aircraft being shot down by Vietnamese forces.
During the visit to Vietnam in September 2023, US President Joe Biden laid flowers at a monument to commemorate late Senator John McCain.
