If the planners back in Washington had taken notice of the wars history of this proud country, then Vietnam might have dodged the tragedy of a horribly brutal war and the destruction to the nature and the landscape of the country. In the latter half of the twentieth century, Vietnam was not at peace until done with defeating Americans, chasing them off the south of the territory.
The picture of Vietnam’s history is mostly painted in the color of wars, yet it’s still a rich and valuable treasure to preserve and hand down to Vietnamese posterity.
Vietnam Military History Museum was established within that spirit and designed by the command of the bureaucratic committee of Vietnamese cash-strapped authority in the 1950s.
One of the highlights of the museum is the Vietnamese Flag Tower that was erected in the early 1800s and is situated in the surrounding countryside. Over the top of the tower, a Vietnamese has been streaming since October 1954.
A courtyard of large-scale planes, helicopters and tanks confiscated from the American military are found at the tower’s base. The whole site is much alike the preparation of a grandiose bonfire. The symbolic B-52 bomber, once representing the superiority of American military is resting on its nose, encircled by the write-off of fighting planes such as fighter-bomber F-111.
The main building of the museum looks like it hasn’t been updated since its inauguration. The exhibitions here are devoted to the First Indochinese War, Vietnam under the rule of Chinese and French colonists and Japan’s premature occupation. The story about the rise of the Viet Minh and its path to the declaration of Independence in 1945 is also found here.
The building constructed later is often headed first by most of the tourists. Like many other museums in Hanoi, Vietnam Military History Museum tends to tell the Vietnam’s side of the story. No matter what your perspective is, the conflict brought by the Americans leaves permanent scars to the country and its citizens. The exhibitions in the building provide a glimpse of American War. You can learn about the strategies and tactics used by Viet Cong. Other features are Vietnamese troops’ uniform and collections of rudimentary weaponry employed by under-equipped Vietnamese guerilla.
You can obtain the panoramic view of the city if you climb all the way to the top of the hexagonal Flag Tower.
The museum opens daily except Monday and Friday. You are expected to pay a small extra fee beside the admission fee if you wish to bring along your camera.
Address: No. 28A, Dien Bien Phu Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.
Tel: (84-4) 7334682.