Mr. Bang uses his two-storey building covering more than 2,000 square meters, and his garden to display items in different categories. He keeps Phu Quoc Prison’s detention rooms intact with items left from prisoners’ daily activities. The highlight is a set of books about politics which are palm-sized and written in iron pen with cuttlefish ink. In addition, there are objects including cudgels and fetters that were used to torture revolutionary soldiers.

Mr Bang recalled that the first item he collected was a bomb found in Gie Bridge in 1985.

"It took me until 2004 to open the museum to the public, and this is a small museum for veterans to remember a hard but heroic period in the country’s history," said Mr Bang.

After he left the army in 1995, Mr. Bang continued to collect his colleagues’ souvenirs. Upon retirement, he spent most of the time travelling across the country to his colleagues’ houses to collect items for the museum. He recalled that he had to travel to central Khanh Hoa province four times to get the palm-size Party flag.

"The Party flag is like the spirit of revolutionaries in prisons and it was used to enlist new Party members. Many of my colleagues had to sacrifice their lives to protect this flag."

Mr. Bang has received tens of thousands of visitors to the museum since it was opened. They are veterans, teachers, pupils and young people. Many guests become deeply moved when learning about the story behind the item.

"I’m moved to see objects on display here, particularly those which were used to torture our soldiers. I think we should open museums like this to remember the past," said a visitor to the museum.

Mr. Bang’s museum has now become a place of reunion for war veterans. They come here every day to participate in the museum’s activities. A local war veteran said that although he lives 14km away from the museum, he lends a helping hand to the museum’s owner whenever a delegation comes to visit the place.

"I think I will stay with the museum forever," said the veteran.

Mr. Bang’s museum is a place not only to exhibit items relating to the war but also to educate the younger generation about their predecessors’ revolutionary tradition.