Vietnam Military History Museum preserves legacy of national resistance

The Vietnam Military History Museum, established on July 17, 1956, is located at Hanoi's 28A Dien Bien Phu Street, adjacent to the Hanoi Flag Tower, one of the city’s major historic landmarks.

This is one of Vietnam's six national museums. It currently holds tens of thousands of exhibits, displayed in 3 indoor and 2 outdoor areas, leading visitors through the armed struggles waged by Vietnamese people.

One of the wooden wattles used in the famous Bach Dang naval battle against the Mongolian army in 1288 by the Great General Tran Hung Dao.

Aware that the enemy was ignorant of the tidal sequence of Bach Dang River, General Tran Hung Dao ordered the wattles planted at the bottom of the river and staged a fallback.

As the tide receded, the enemy got stuck in the maze of wattles, allowing Tran Hung Dao’s army defeat one of the most powerful invaders in the world, making history.

The wattle at the museum was found in a water lagoon adjacent to Chanh river dike, Quang Ninh Province. Bach Dang River flows across Quang Ninh Province and Hai Phong City, 80km east of Hanoi.

Shell mine, infrared viewfinder, phone and butterfly bomb produced by the U.S. and used by France in the Indochina war. The Vietnamese army acquired these artifacts after the 1954 Dien Bien Phu Battle.

The Dien Bien Phu Battle occurred between March and May, 1954 and culminated in a comprehensive French defeat that influenced negotiations underway at Geneva among several nations over the future of Indochina.

Guns produced by Vietnam and put into use during the resistance war against the Americans (1954-1975). These artifacts are on display on the 2nd floor of the S3 building in the museum.

T54B tank number 843, manufactured by the Soviet Union, with a 12.7-mm gun turret. It led the Corps No.2 to attack the Saigon Presidential Palace (now the Independence Palace) on April 30, 1975.

The tank was recognized as a National Treasure in 2012 and is displayed at the entrance to the S3 building.

A bronze statue of a soldier created by sculptor Tran Dinh Hoe in 1960, is displayed among artifacts related to the resistance against the French colonialists.

The outdoor display area is located at the foot of Hanoi Flag Tower. It has airplanes, tanks, high-altitude artillery, landmines, and other artifacts. The most prominent of these is the installation of vestiges of aircraft shot down by the Vietnamese army, including the tail of American F.111A plane which plunged directly into the ground (right of the photo).

Different types of bombs used by the US military and the cannon the Vietnamese army used to shoot down B-52 aircraft, an American long-range heavy bomber, are also part of the outdoor display.

Cannons of the Nguyen Dynasty built in the 19th century were discovered in the area around Thang Long Citadel in 2003.

Inside a cockpit of a plane in the outdoor display area.

The museum's souvenir shop sells items associated with the military, including Vietnamese army hats, helmets, tanks, ships made from cartons, and so on.

The Vietnam Military History Museum is open on weekdays except Monday and Friday from  8 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.- 4:30 p.m.

Tickets are priced at VND20,000 ($0.86) per person. Visitors with a camera have to buy an additional ticket for VND30,000 ($1.3) for taking pictures.