Young people are enthusiastic about national security and defense.

The positive signs recently observed at the Vietnam Military History Museum demonstrate the growing interest in learning about national history among all segments of the population, including young people.

The beautiful female members of the Vietnam People's Army's military band during the dress rehearsal for the 2024 International Defence Exhibition - Photo: NAM TRAN

Since November 1st, the Vietnam Military History Museum has been open, welcoming approximately 40,000 visitors on some days. Among these crowds are many young people who choose this place as a destination to learn about the history, culture, origins, and traditions of nation-building and national defense. And on the evening of December 16th, for the first time since its opening, nearly 1,000 young people from the Vietnam Youth Union visited the museum for an experiential tour. Many young people were moved by the flag and the historical images and artifacts displayed in the museum. Many spent a long time taking photos with the artifacts that tell stories of history, such as the first national flag of Vietnam. The national flag is displayed in the exhibition hall depicting the days of resistance for national independence and the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam...

"A place for connecting with others..."

Speaking to Tuoi Tre newspaper , Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thanh Le, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Military History Museum, expressed his joy at seeing the interest and enthusiasm of people, especially young people and students, in visiting and learning about history. "In the coming time, the museum will continue to improve and ensure accurate historical information to meet the learning and research needs of the people, especially young people, who come to the museum," Lieutenant Colonel Le shared. The positive signs in recent times for the museum show the rich history and the love for learning about the nation's history among all segments of the population, including young people. This signal, as Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thanh Le said, "is not simply because this is a large and magnificent museum, but because of the interest in the history of nation-building and national defense, and this is a success in recreating a part of history." In the coming period, the Vietnam Military History Museum will continue to implement the contents of phase 2 with eight themes, including: Heroic Vietnamese Mothers; President Ho Chi Minh and the People's Armed Forces; various weapons, flags, medals, etc. Along with that are 12 specialized fields such as the navy, air force, artillery, armored vehicles, communications, etc. The museum will also reconstruct in the outdoor areas typical historical sites and monuments of the country such as the fighting villages of the North and South, the Bach Dang stake field, the Dien Bien Phu battlefield, the missile sites protecting Hanoi and Hai Phong, the Cu Chi tunnels... "All of this will create a large, interconnected landscape in accordance with the museum's purpose - a museum in a park. This will be a place for connection, learning, research, community activities, tourism, sightseeing, and relaxation..." - Lieutenant Colonel Le shared. In the near future, the museum plans to have interactive experiential areas and eco-friendly community activity zones to organize heritage education programs for all ages, especially students of all levels, to learn about Vietnamese history. These will include various military games such as artillery pulling, boat rides simulating warships on the lake recreating historical battles, night tours, tank driving experiences, and airplane piloting...

Joint forces train in preparation for the opening of the 2024 International Defence Exhibition - Photo: NAM TRAN

Cultivating love for one's country

Major General Hoang Kien, a Hero of the People's Armed Forces and former commander of the Engineering Corps, said he was deeply moved to see crowds of people, tourists, especially young people, lining up to visit the Vietnam Military History Museum. According to General Kien, previously, when the museum was located on Dien Bien Phu Street, the small area made exhibitions difficult and not comprehensive. However, since moving to its new location, with its larger area and scale, it can display many artifacts, including weapons used throughout the nation's history of building and defending the country, especially during the two wars against the US and France. Furthermore, the museum's opening on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army is even more meaningful. "Over the past time, I have had many opportunities to visit here and witnessed many people, especially young people, happily waiting in line to visit the museum. Here, people can admire the large-scale and magnificent architecture and exhibits. At the same time, they come here to learn about the nation-building and defense traditions of our ancestors, as well as the formation, development, and growth of the Vietnam People's Army over the past 80 years. I clearly feel that everyone is radiant, eager, and proud of the traditions of the nation, the army, and the museum itself. This has helped to educate and cultivate patriotism among the younger generation," General Kien stated. General Kien said that visiting the museum and seeing the artifacts firsthand will help the younger generation and youth enhance their readiness to fulfill their military service obligations and join the army to protect the Fatherland when called upon. "This museum serves as a comprehensive history lesson, providing excellent education for generations, especially young people. Besides fostering patriotism, it also demonstrates faith in the military under the Party's leadership and belief in the defense of the Fatherland in the new situation," General Kien further emphasized.

Mr. Le Viet Truong (former deputy chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on National Defense and Security):

Learn about the glorious history of our nation.

I am very pleased to see that people, especially the younger generation, have visited the Vietnam Military History Museum recently. Whenever they have the opportunity, people, especially the younger generation, want to learn about the glorious history of the nation and the achievements of their ancestors. The fact that this museum has been built on a large scale, with comprehensive and complete exhibits, has created more opportunities for young people to learn about the historical lessons and traditions of the nation and its heroic army.

Promoting Vietnam's technological and weapons capabilities.

The surveillance radar system manufactured and produced by Viettel - Photo: N.TRAN

Recently, historical stories from museums to drills, demonstrations, and exhibitions of national defense weapons have attracted widespread public attention. And from December 19th to 22nd, the 2024 International Defense Exhibition will once again be held at Gia Lam military airport (Hanoi). With the theme "Peace, Friendship, Cooperation for Development," this is not only a key event commemorating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army and the 35th anniversary of the National Defense Day; it is also an opportunity to promote and publicize the capabilities, technological potential, and weapons and equipment produced by Vietnam's defense industry to international friends and the people of the country, and to seek opportunities for exporting Vietnamese defense industry products. The exhibition, organized by the Ministry of National Defence, is on a much larger scale, both in terms of area and the number of visitors, compared to the first exhibition in 2022. According to the organizers, to date, more than 140 companies from 27 countries have registered to exhibit their products, and over 60,000 people have registered to visit. General Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defence, stated that the defence exhibition demonstrates the strength and determination of the Vietnam People's Army to the world. Images of the forces at the exhibition will be disseminated globally, and it will be a celebration showcasing the true strength, unity, and solidarity of the Vietnamese military. "The Vietnam People's Army is a fighting force, a labor and production force, and also plays a role in the development of the defence industry to achieve self-reliance, self-strength, self-defense, dual-use, and modernization," General Phan Van Giang affirmed. Major General Hoang Kien assessed that each exhibition is an opportunity for the world and the people to clearly see the military and defense potential of Vietnam. It also showcases the products that Vietnam's defense industry has produced. He also stated that previous exhibitions, and certainly the 2024 exhibition, will attract a large number of international friends, as well as the people and young people to visit and observe. "Bringing military equipment to the exhibition is not about showing we are racing to acquire weapons. It's about showing the world and the people that the Vietnamese army has been equipped with and produces modern equipment. This helps the people, especially the younger generation, to feel proud and confident in the internal strength of the defense industry in producing and equipping the army with increasingly modern equipment. It also clearly shows the strength of the army in its readiness to protect peace and territorial integrity of the Fatherland in all situations," General Kien emphasized. According to Mr. Le Viet Truong, former Vice Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on National Defense and Security, organizing the 2024 International Defense Exhibition, especially on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army, has great significance. This is also an event with great appeal to international friends and the people, especially young people. The exhibition will clearly show the development and achievements of Vietnam's defense industry. Mr. Truong also emphasized that, along with visiting the Vietnam Military History Museum, young people attending the international defense exhibition will help enhance their understanding of international military affairs and Vietnam's military and defense potential. From there, it will convey a message about the strength of national unity of the Vietnamese people and the heroic Vietnam People's Army to the people, especially young people, and peace-loving friends around the world. Many types of Vietnamese-made military equipment will be showcased at the 2024 International Defence Exhibition, featuring products from 242 domestic and international units and enterprises. These include many renowned defense companies and corporations from countries with advanced and developed defense industries such as Russia, India, Israel, China, and the United States. Notably, Vietnam will have 69 types of military equipment and weapons from 77 units on display, representing "self-reliance in the defense industry," such as the Military Telecommunications and Industry Corporation (Viettel), factories Z111, Z113, Z131, Z175, member companies of the General Department of Defense Industry, and companies under the Ministry of National Defence. Significantly, many new types of military equipment developed and produced by Vietnam's defense industry will be exhibited for the first time at the exhibition. Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nguoi-tre-hao-huc-voi-an-ninh-quoc-phong-20241218083823736.htm