Celebrating the 88th anniversary of the founding of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (March 26, 1931 - March 26, 2019); 46 years since the return of the last American pilot prisoner of war in Hanoi (March 29, 1973 - March 29, 2019); 44 years since the liberation of the South and unification of the country (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2019), the War Remnants Museum coordinated with the Management Board of Hoa Lo Prison Relics to organize a thematic exhibition : "Recovering memories".
The exhibition includes 250 images, documents, and artifacts with 04 contents: Facing the B-52, Hilton Hotel - Hanoi, Return Day and Building the Future.
Facing B52: President Ho Chi Minh affirmed that "Hanoi, Hai Phong and some cities and factories may be destroyed. But the Vietnamese people are determined not to be afraid! Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom! On the day of victory, our people will rebuild our country more dignified, bigger and more beautiful", that will was once again affirmed in the 12 days and nights "Facing the B52" in December 1972.
Images of Hanoi Capital, Hai Phong City, where bombs and bullets of the war caused the ground to shake, tiles to shatter and bricks to crumble, but with strong love and faith, the soldiers and people of Hanoi and Hai Phong clung to the ground. , clinging to houses, clinging to each traffic ditch to turn "Each village is a fortress, each citizen is a soldier". Flip through every moment back to the history of Hanoi and Hai Phong in those days, in the emotions: grief, sadness, loss... still shining with the belief of victory. It is that love and devotion that weaves the epic poem above the roar of bombs.
"Hilton Hotel - Hanoi" will bring to those who have never experienced war more wartime stories full of surprises and humanity, especially the stories of working people. The management, care, and protection of American pilots in Hoa Lo Prison Camp are interwoven with stories about a number of American pilots arrested and detained here such as: Navy Lieutenant Everett Alvarez Jr. The first pilot was shot down in North Vietnam and had the longest detention at "Hilton - Hanoi"; Navy Lieutenant Colonel Walter Eugene Wilber, Corporal Robert P. Chenoweth, Marine Lieutenant Colonel Edison W. Miller... are people who have a correct understanding of the war in which they participate; Navy Major John Sidney McCain, Air Force Captain Douglas Brian (Pete) Peterson... had many activities to mend the Vietnam-US relationship after the war.
In 1964 - 1973, a part of Hoa Lo Prison was used to temporarily detain American pilots, most of whom were pilots who fought in the battle of "Dien Bien Phu in the air". Inside the stone wall "Hilton - Hanoi" is the daily life of American pilots. There are no more flights with B-52s or carpet bombings, only silence remains for American pilots to reflect on the past and feel the peaceful life and warm human love at the Hoa Detention Camp. Oven. Today, after 44 years of leaving the "Hilton Hotel - Hanoi", Marine Lieutenant Colonel Edison W. Miller, one of the former American pilots, now at the age of 87, shared: I don't encounter any problem. I know your country is poor and I often eat vegetable soup in the morning. In the afternoon, they didn't surprise me by giving me a bowl of soup. One time, a Vietnamese prison guard talked to me and I asked them if they could add herbs to the soup, to make the soup more attractive... and I thought it was great that they did that. .. I was very surprised when they gave each of us 3 cigarettes a day. Every morning there were 4 people who came to give us cigarettes and I liked the time when I could smoke 3 times a day... I often told everyone I knew in the camp to exercise and I exercised every day. .
"Return Day": On January 27, 1973, the Paris Agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam was signed. The governments of Vietnam and the United States are returning people detained by both sides. The happy, touching faces, happy tears... when returning to the arms of loved ones have become memories engraved in the minds of those returning after the war. Hidden in each photo, in each artifact in the "Return Day" display are touching stories about the warmth of husband and wife love, sacred motherhood... after many years of separation of political prisoners. Vietnam was returned by the US-Puppet government at Nhan Bieu beach on the bank of Thach Han river, Quang Tri province as well as the American pilots were returned at Gia Lam airport, Hanoi.
"Building the future" is the final content of the exhibition expressing the desire for peace of the Vietnamese people, because more than anyone else, all Vietnamese people fully understand the value of peace. Since 1973, the Vietnamese Government has proactively searched for and returned the remains of American soldiers missing during the war. In 1989, the US Government coordinated with Vietnam in search activities. Although these "returns" were not completely complete, they partly healed and eased the sadness of the wartime. Today, American veterans return to Vietnam to find unforgettable memories of their military career and Hoa Lo is a part of that memory. All of these activities aim to build good relations between the two countries Vietnam - United States.
Thematic exhibition "Recovering Memories" is an opportunity for Vietnamese people to be more proud of having created a miracle of the 20th century, an opportunity for American pilots to remember a quiet moment in their lives, helping each person understand more about the severity of war, to contribute to building a peaceful world.
The exhibition is open to visitors from March 21, 2019 at the War Remnants Museum.
We are pleased to welcome the public to enjoy.
