Published:  00:00 Thursday - December 25, 2008

Vietnam lovers in Italy held a ceremony in Genoa port city on December 20 to introduce a book on the Vietnam war on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The book, entitled “Weighing Anchor: the 17 th Parallel”, tells a story about a ship that Luchino Sossai, a member of the Italy-Vietnam Friendship Association, piloted to Vietnam in 1973 after the two countries established their diplomatic ties.

Departing from the Genoa port on November 17, 1973 and arriving in Vietnam one month later, with toys and learning tools for Vietnamese children, the ship represented Genoa people’s great support for the Vietnamese people’s just struggle.

This is the second book on Vietnam published in Italy in 2008. The first book containing photos of the Vietnam war taken by the late Italian journalist-photographer, Ennio Iacobucci, appeared in September.