The modern history of Vietnam was unfortunately attached with wars. Many people know about Vietnam through war lessons. The major wars include the French-Vietnam war from 1946 to 1954. Later, a more lengthy war- the Vietnam war from 1955 to 1975. The later was probably more famous as it has been the longest intervention in the history of the United States army. 

 

For all these historic records, it is worth a trip to visit the Museum of History of Military while you are in Hanoi. It is an insightful experience to understand a paradox- Vietnamese army has not been the most powerful army in the world, but it defeated the most powerful armies in the world.

The Museum in Hanoi actually belongs to a system of seven military museums throughout the country. It  is monitored under the leadership of the Political Bureau of the Ministry of Defense.

 

Ho Chi Minh himself picked up the location for the construction of the museum. After quite much of consideration, he decided a special lot which had been a military camp of French information guards. The structure had been built since the early 20th with French style. It was then converted to become an exhibition house of military artifacts.

 

So far its storage boasts of more than 15,000 artifacts with great value of history. The first level of the museum includes three rooms. The first room was about the military since the cradle of Vietnamese civilization till the liberation war from the 1000-year colonization of Chinese in 938. The middle room is about the war against the French in the 20th century with a close insight into the Dien Bien Phu campaign. 

 

The S3 houses the exhibition on the war against the American from 1960s to 1970s. This includes materials from the anti-war movement around the globe in support of Vietnam communist. Next to it is the exhibition of the legendary Ho Chi Minh campaign. The highlight is the Ho Chi Minh road- a strategic route through out the Truong Son range to aid the guerilla war down south then later turn into a road for the core army of the North attacking the US-led regime in Saigon. The museum dedicates a room to the Heroic Vietnamese mothers who had spent their whole life working in support of their husbands and their sons out at the patriotic war.