Poem taken from the body of a North Vietnamese Army soldier

This poem was recovered from the body of a North Vietnamese Army soldier by an American GI on April 8, 1969, along with other personal effects of the soldier. The NVA soldier was killed during an ambush by Company A of the 2nd Battalion (Mechanized), 4th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division near Rach Kien. At the end of his tour, the G.I. carried the poem home with him and stored it for over 42 years. On Veteran's Day 2011, he made a trip to Washington, DC and left it, along with the other items recovered, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at dawn on November 12, 2011. In a letter left with the recovered items, he explains that his motivations for leaving them were a longing for reconciliation and a desire to put the man's soul to rest. He contemplates the life that this man never had and asks for forgiveness from his former enemy.

This poem is written in Vietnamese and is titled "MÙA XUÂN HOA ÐUA NỎ", or "The Spring's Flowers in Full Bloom". It is a handwritten, personal copy of the poem broadcast over Hanoi Radio by Ho Chi Minh as code to begin the Tet Offensive. The other recovered items include a National Liberation Front (Viet Cong) flag; a silk pennant with Vietnamese text translating to "most decent squad"; a black and white photograph of 8 Vietnamese soldiers; two Vietnamese stamps commemorating the 50th
anniversary of the Russian October Revolution. All items were left in a wooden box with Chinese characters lining the interior.

Visitors have left offerings like this at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial since its dedication, making it the first collection of its kind. Some, like the veteran who left this offering, describe it as a cathartic experience.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is one of the many sites administered by the National Mall and Memorial Parks.