Addressing the opening ceremony, Chairman of the Hoan Kiem People’s Committee Pham Tuan Long said items and documents on display recall heroic memories of the army and people in the capital and the victory that created a historical turning point for Hanoi and the country.
In the 12 days and nights of fierce fights in Hanoi in late December 1972 against the US air force, the Vietnamese army and people defeated US airstrikes in the North, shooting down 81 aircraft of all kinds, including 34 B-52 strategic bombers, forcing the US to sign the Paris Agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam in January 1973.
This triumph is also called the “Dien Bien Phu in the air” victory, which took the name from the victory of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign in 1954 that put an end to the French colonial rule over Indochina.
The exhibition also marked the beginning of a series of events in commemoration of the victory taking place until December 25 in the Old Quarter, and the Hoan Kiem pedestrian zone and neighbouring areas. On scheduled are a film screening session on the 12 days and nights at the centre; an exhibition of 50 black and white photos along the pedestrian space; and a concert named ‘Giai dieu hoa binh’ (peaceful melodies).
