Dien Bien: The Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum in Dien Bien Phu city of the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien is a cultural work that preserves thousands of documents and artifacts closely associated with the glorious Dien Bien Phu Victory over French colonials in 1954, which ‘resounded across the five continents and shook the globe’.

Construction of the museum started in 2012 and it was inaugurated in 2014 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory. The museum is a modern architectural work and its exterior design mimics the shape of iconic camouflage helmet worn by Dien Bien soldiers in the past.

The exhibition area is arranged on the first floor of the museum, covering an area of 1,250 sq.m. It houses nearly 1,000 documents, artifacts, photographs, and maps, making it a modern exhibition space.

The highlight of the museum is the large panoramic artwork, which is one of the world’s largest war-themed oil painting re-enacting the Dien Bien Phu battlefield at different times fro
m late 1953 to May 7, 1954.

The extraordinary circular oil on canvas painting is 132m long, 20.5m high and 42m in diameter. Featuring 4,500 characters, the artwork depicts the entire army going to battle, the opening combat at Him Lam hill, A1 hill battle, and the triumph.

It was done by nearly 200 painters, architects, musicians, and technicians, starting in November 2019 and completed in May 2022.

The museum is a must-visit destination for domestic and international visitors to Dien Bien as the province is proactively preparing for the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 – 2024) and Visit Vietnam Year – Dien Bien 2024.

Vu Thi Tuyet Nga, director of the museum, said the unit has mobilised all human resources to meet tourists’ demand.

Attention has been paid to collecting and preserving war artifacts, contributing to popularising the country’s tradition of resilience and solidarity in resisting foreign invaders, not only for Vietnamese people and but also peace lovers around the wo
rld, she added./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency