Vietnam Television (VTV) will screen colour films made by Japanese cameramen in northern Vietnam during the US-resistance war.

The copyright to use 1,510 items of short documentary films, equivalent to over 6,000 minutes, on northern Vietnam from 1964 to 1981 was transferred to VTV last February by Japanese television Nihon Denpa News (NDN).

The films include a DVD on President Ho Chi Minh with children on June 1, 1969 and his funeral ceremony.

From these historic resources, VTV plans to make a documentary film and launch a special programme to broadcast all 1,510 short reports.

NDN was the first foreign TV crew to cover the US war in Vietnam with vision from the North, commencing from December 1964, said VTV journalist Xuan Tung, who took part in discussions on transfer of the documents over the past four years.

NDN’s images of US troops in northern Vietnam were reproduced by US and European agencies after broadcast in Japan, partially leading to an eruption of anti-war movements around the world.