May 7 this year marks the 70th anniversary of the great victory which forced the French colonialists to sit down at the negotiation table and sign the Geneva Accords on ending the war and restoring peace in Indochina in July 1954.

Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum guides have very little time to rest these days, but they don’t feel tired. They feel happy and proud to tell the visitors stories about the Vietnamese army and people during the battle of Dien Bien Phu 70 years ago.

All tour guide want to give visitors the best impression of the touching stories and artifacts on display at the Museum and welcome visitors to Dien Bien throughout the week.

In addition to the information they have memorized, they want to convey to visitors our pride, love of the homeland, and gratitude to our predecessors, heart to heart.

The museum’s staff have vividly recreated the 56-day-and-night campaign of, as the To Huu poem describes it, “digging into mountains, sleeping in tunnels, pouring rain, squeezing rice, blood mixed with mud”. The undaunted and resourceful soldiers created a great victory for the Vietnamese people.

Nguyen Van Dao, a veteran of Hai Phong city, said he was very moved to return to Dien Bien and visit the historical sites.

“We could see the vivid image of Dien Bien soldiers 70 years ago and feel the heroic spirit of the Vietnamese resistance war against the French army to liberate the country,” Dao shared.

A highlight of the Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum is a bronze panoramic painting depicting the progress of the Dien Bien Phu campaign. The largest painting in Southeast Asia and the third-largest in the world gives viewers a comprehensive overview of the battlefield.

Nguyen Hoai Phuong, a young tourist from Ho Chi Minh City, was moved to say, “I cried a lot when I saw the painting at the museum. I thought about the hardships and sacrifices of the Dien Bien soldiers. I’m very proud of them.”

This year many tourists have come to Dien Bien and visited the Museum, according to Vu Thi Tuyet Nga, the museum’s Director.

She noted that the museum has always done its best to explain the battlefield relics and the significance of the Dien Bien Phu victory to generations of Vietnamese and peace-lovers around the world.

“This year is the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory and is also Dien Bien National Tourism Year. As the place where the largest number of tourists come, we’ve made plans to use 3D movies, a 3D mock-up background combined with 3D mapping, and a virtual reality tour to appeal to our visitors,” Nga said.

The Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum stands opposite the A1 National Martyrs Cemetery and near A1 Hill, the Martyrs’ Temple on F Hill, General De Castries' command bunker, and the Dien Bien Phu Victory Monument.

The Museum is a treasure house of vivid images of a victory that “resounded throughout the five continents and was world-shaking”.

VOV