The Vietnam Military History Museum, set up on 17 July 1956, is one of seven

national museum A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...

s in Vietnam. It covers 12,800 m². It is situated in central Hanoi, opposite the

Lenin Park This is a list of places which are named or renamed after Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, better known by his alias Lenin. Some or all of the locations in former Soviet republics and satellites were renamed (frequently reverting to pre-Soviet names) aft ...

and near the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. The

Flag Tower of Hanoi The Flag Tower of Hanoi ( vi, Cột cờ Hà Nội) is a tower in Hanoi, Vietnam, which is one of the symbols of the city and once a part of the Hanoi Citadel, a World Heritage Site. Its height is 33.4 m (41 m with the flag). History The tower ...

is located inside of the museum grounds.

Layout

The museum consists of various buildings. Eras of Vietnamese military history are showcased in different buildings on the complex. The

is within the bounds of the complex as well. It is possible for visitors to enter the first two tiers of the tower, however, the spire is inaccessible. The museum also includes a display of decommissioned, captured or destroyed military equipment and vehicles used by French, Viet Minh, North Vietnam, South Vietnam and the United States during the First and Second Indochina Wars. This display, located right next to the Flag Tower of Hanoi, has become known as "The Garden of Toys". There is a

Highlands Coffee Highlands Coffee is a Vietnamese coffee shop chain and producer and distributor of coffee products, established in Hanoi by Vietnamese American David Thai in 1998. The establishment of the Highlands Coffee company marked the first time an oversea ...

chain store in which visitors can rest, as well as souvenir shops where one may browse various products.

Exhibits

Vietnam Military History Museum in 2014 B 16

The museum does not always give context or explanation surrounding the exhibits. The exhibits mostly consist of artifacts. It is best to inform oneself about the First and Second Indochina wars if one wants to understand the artifacts and the references within the notecards. There are some English and French placards containing information on the war eras. Audiovisual elements are often only available in Vietnamese. Note cards explaining each artifact are in both Vietnamese, French and English. This museum presents the First and second Indochina wars.

A History of Vietnam's Military conflicts

Vietnam Military History Museum in 2014 A 09

Taken from a placard on the Vietnamese Military History Museum * 214 - 207 BC :Resistance war against the Qin * 208 - 179 BC :Resistance war against the Zhao * 40 - 43: Resistance war against the Eastern Han's domination * 542 - 548 : Resistance war against the Liang's domination * 603: Resistance war against the Sui's domination * 687 - 905 : Resistance war against the Tang's domination * 930 - 938 :Resistance war against the Southern Han * 1077 : Resistance war against the Song * 1258 - 1288 : Resistance war against the Mongolian * 1406 - 1427 : Resistance war against the Ming's domination * 1785 - 1789 :Resistance war against the Siam - Qing * 1858 - 1954 : Resistance war against the French colonists * 1954 - 1975 : Resistance war against the American imperialist, liberate the nation

Pre-Colonial Exhibition

This era was highlighted by invasions from neighbouring countries through the years 214 BC to 1789. A placard details the Vietnamese Resistance Wars against Invaders in history. Various artifacts during these years are on display while quotations and murals attributed to previous emperors are arranged on the walls. Several scenarios depicting their actions on keeping the invaders away are complete with figurines to clearly illustrate their battles during this era.

Second Indochina War

Vietnam Military History Museum in 2014 C 37

There is a wide variety of displays seen in the museum focusing on the second Indochina war (The Vietnam War) through many exhibits presenting information of the tactics of the American Imperialists and the different manners in which war was approached in Vietnam, through a focus on the "Vietnamization of War" as well as the many other failures of the Americans, a large portion of the displays are used to symbolize and reinforce the willpower and determination of the Vietnamese. The museum also has a large compilation of posters, newspapers and pictures demonstrating the global support condemning the Americans in the war including countries such as Congo, North Korea, Netherlands, Venezuela and Cuba. The museum also boats a very large collection of old machinery and artillery named the "Garden of Broken toys" which were shot down by the Vietnamese including a B-52 sculpture to demonstrate the strength of the Vietnamese during the war, a Chinook, many soviet tanks, and torpedo launchers.

Items on outside display

Items on display include: *

37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K) The 37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K) (russian: 37-мм автоматическая зенитная пушка образца 1939 года (61-К)) is a Soviet 37 mm calibre anti-aircraft gun developed during the late 19 ...

57 mm AZP S-60 AZP S-60 (russian: Автоматическая зенитная пушка С-60, abbrev. АЗП (AZP); literally: ''Automatic anti-aircraft gun S-60'') is a Soviet towed, road-transportable, short- to medium-range, single-barrel anti-aircraft ...

* 85 mm divisional gun D-44 *

130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46) The 130 mm towed field gun M-46 (russian: 130-мм пушка M-46) is a manually loaded, towed 130 mm artillery piece, manufactured in the Soviet Union in the 1950s. It was first observed by the west in 1954. For many years, the M-46 ...

*Bell UH-1H Iroquois *Wreckage of a Boeing B-52G shot down during Operation Linebacker II *Cessna

A-37B Dragonfly The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is an American light attack aircraft developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer in the 1960s and 1970s by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. The A-37 was introduced during the Vietnam War and remained in pea ...

*Douglas A-1E and A-1H Skyraiders * M3 Half-track purportedly used by Groupe Mobile 100 and captured in the

Battle of Mang Yang Pass The Battle of Mang Yang Pass (also known as the Battle of An Khê or the Battle of Đắk Pơ) was one of the last battles of the First Indochina War which took place on 24 June 1954. The battle was one of the bloodiest defeats of the French Unio ...

M101 howitzer The M101A1 (previously designated M2A1) howitzer is an artillery piece developed and used by the United States. It was the standard U.S. light field howitzer in World War II and saw action in both the European and Pacific theaters and during the ...

* M107 Self-Propelled Gun * M113 armored personnel carrier * M114 155 mm howitzer *

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet aircraft, jet fighter aircraft, fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan, Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB, De ...

MF & PFM * SA-2 Guideline SAM * T-34 tank * T-54 tank

References

External links

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Photos of the Vietnam Military History Museum
{{Authority control Museums established in 1956 Museums in Hanoi National museums Military and war museums in Vietnam Vietnam War museums French colonial architecture in Vietnam 1956 establishments in Vietnam