55 years of Vietnam Military History Museum

The Vietnam Army Museum (now the Vietnam Military History Museum) was established on July 17, 1956, which has become its traditional day. It is now one of the most visited national museums, recording 18 million visitors, including two million foreigners from 150 countries around the world.

It has also been awarded many high orders, medals and titles of distinction from the Vietnamese State and Army.

President Ho Chi Minh visited the museum on December 12, 1959, along with several Politburo members, and described the museum as a living history book upholding the glorious tradition of the Vietnamese army.

On December 4, 2002, former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai signed a decision changing its name to the Vietnam Military History Museum. Since then, it has made significant changes to improve its operation and worked out effective methods for cataloging, evaluating and preserving objects. Today, its collection is managed and cataloged on computers.

The museum displays have also been upgraded in both scope and content and, over the past ten years, the museum has published 30 books and organized 70 special exhibitions. The artist Le Duy Ung has had more than 40 painting and sculpture exhibitions at the museum that were well received by the public.

The museum has also collaborated with military zones and army corps and divisions to organize 30 mobile exhibitions that attracted more than 50,000 visitors.

Its success is attributed to attention and guidance from the Party, Government and Army, as well as the assistance and support of the Ministry of Culture, Information and Tourism and other agencies.