A place to preserve precious historical values about the Dien Bien Phu Victory
Báo Dân trí•01/05/2024
(Dan Tri Newspaper) - The Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum is a place that preserves authentic and vivid documents and images about the "glorious victory that shook the world" during the resistance war against French colonialism.
The Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum is located in Muong Thanh Ward (Dien Bien Phu City, Dien Bien Province). Construction began in October 2012 on an area of 22,000 square meters and it officially opened to visitors on May 5, 2014. This is currently the largest, most magnificent, and most modern museum in Dien Bien Province. The project holds immense historical, cultural, architectural, and exhibition significance, ensuring high quality and technical standards befitting the Dien Bien Phu Victory, a victory that "shook the world." During these historic days, the museum welcomes thousands of visitors from all over the country every day. Ms. Vu Thi Tuyet Nga, Director of the Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum, shared that the museum is a cultural and tourist attraction of Dien Bien province and an indispensable choice for every visitor when visiting the historical city. In the last days of April, the museum welcomed 3,000-5,000 visitors each day. Tour guide Lo Thi Thuong explains to tourists about the trenches and fortifications used by the French when they landed and occupied the Muong Thanh plain during the Dien Bien Phu offensive. The photo shows a scene of pulling artillery into position. This is a 37mm anti-aircraft gun, manufactured in the Soviet Union and supplied to the Vietnam People's Army – one of four 37mm anti-aircraft guns of Company 815, Battalion 383, Regiment 367, Artillery Division 351 that shot down the first Moran reconnaissance aircraft of the French colonialists over Dien Bien Phu on March 14, 1954.
The people of the Northwest ethnic groups brought food and supplies to support the resistance, and the civilian labor force ensured logistical support for the campaign in various forms such as carrying supplies on their backs, using pack horses, or employing modified bicycles.
Artifacts associated with individuals' remarkable achievements are prominently displayed in easily visible and accessible locations for visitors to see and learn about, such as Mr. Ma Van Thang's cargo bicycle. During the Dien Bien Phu campaign, bicycles were used by civilian workers to transport food supplies; however, initially, each bicycle could only carry 80-100kg, making transportation very difficult. During the transport process, Mr. Thang devised an innovative improvement to the cargo bicycle, increasing its carrying capacity to 200kg, and even over 300kg. His bicycle, for example, set a record by carrying 325kg.
During the arduous fighting, when having to dig trenches and tunnels to encircle enemy strongholds, our troops came up with the ingenious idea of using the "Cushion" in their offensive tactics, helping to shield against direct enemy fire and creating conditions for our troops to build fortifications and get close to the enemy. The decisive Battle of Dien Bien Phu took place in three phases. Phase 3, from May 1st to May 7th, 1954, saw our troops capture the eastern strongholds and launch a general offensive to completely destroy the Dien Bien Phu fortified complex. At 5:30 PM on May 7th, 1954, we captured the enemy's command post, forcing General De Castries, along with his entire General Staff and soldiers of the Dien Bien Phu fortified complex, to surrender. Our "Determined to fight, determined to win" flag flew atop the enemy's command bunker, officially inscribing the Dien Bien Phu victory in history. In the photo, visitors express their profound gratitude at the exhibition area displaying photos, names, and ages of the heroes of the Dien Bien Phu campaign. Tourists take souvenir photos at the area recreating the scene of soldiers raising the Victory flag on top of the De Castries bunker on the afternoon of May 7, 1954. A particularly impressive highlight for visitors is the panoramic mural designed throughout the second floor of the museum, recreating the entire Dien Bien Phu campaign through a series of paintings continuously drawn on the walls in the same space... The painting depicts 4,500 figures from the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, a battle "renowned throughout the world and shaking the earth." The painting's content is divided into four historical segments, clearly separated by themes: "the entire nation goes to war," "the heroic prelude," "the historic confrontation," and "the Dien Bien Phu victory." The image shows a scene from the "the entire nation goes to war" segment, depicting the entire population carrying rice, transporting goods, and supplying food to the soldiers fighting the enemy. The artwork, measuring 132 meters in length and over 20.5 meters in height, features an adjacent dome depicting clouds and sky, creating a painting with a surface area of up to 3,225 square meters. More than 4,500 characters and scenes of the Northwest mountains and forests are realistically and vividly recreated through the masterful brushstrokes of nearly 200 artists who graduated from the Vietnam Fine Arts University, painted with oil paint on canvas in a 360-degree space.
The Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum is organizing viewings of paintings in batches. To ensure visitors can experience the most authentic depictions, each screening accommodates approximately 30-50 visitors. The images, sounds, and narration provide visitors with a comprehensive overview of the Dien Bien Phu battle, a battle "renowned throughout the world and shaking the earth." According to the Director of the Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum, during the peak period commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, the museum will also be welcoming and serving visitors on Friday and Saturday evenings, from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM.
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