The main exhibition area is a building 35.8 m tall with five floors including one partly underground.
Planes, tanks and other military vehicles and weaponry from revolutions and important historical events will be exhibited in two areas next to the square spanning a total of 20,000 m2.
The main building will have several exhibition areas with themes categorized based on historical events.
The first floor will have six themes, including from the revolution against French colonialists and the Vietnam War. The second floor will have eight themed areas and seven weapon and military equipment collections. The third floor will have relics from 12 branches of the military like the air force, navy and engineer corps. The fourth floor will have eateries.
The semi-basement is meant for storage and administrative-technical purposes, and will also serve as a workplace for museum employees. The storage area will be 10,000 m2 and have modern standards of preservation.
Among the earliest relics brought to the museum is a MiG-21 aircraft piloted by Pham Tuan, who shot down B-52 planes during the Christmas bombings on Dec. 27, 1972. It was also flown by other pilots who shot down four other U.S. planes.
A Renault Juvaquatre car, dubbed a "witness" to the Tet Offensive in 1968. Nguyen Tan Mieng drove it, transporting revolutionary soldiers from Ap Moi in HCMC’s Go Vap District to attack the Joint General Staff.
Captured artillery pieces and tanks are also on display. The 175 mm artillery had a maximum speed of 56 kph and a firing range of 32 km. Its shells weighed 68 kg each and took five people to operate.
Vietnam captured four of the artillery pieces during the Tan Lam battle in Quang Tri in April 1972. They were first exhibited in June 1974.
Workers carrying out construction of the museum.
Its first phase is planned for completion in June and will have the exhibition area on the first floor, the square, a memorial site, and other infrastructure like playgrounds for children and parking lots.
The entire museum is expected to be completed and opened to the public at the end of this year.
