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Exhibition recalls memories of “Dien Bien Phu in the air”

An exhibition is underway at the Hoa Lo Prison relic site in Hanoi to help the public gain an insight into the fierce 12-day-and-night struggle against US airstrikes in late 1972 to defend the capital.

The exhibition entitled “The silence” is being held on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the “Dien Bien Phu in the air” victory (December 1972 - 2022) and 50 years since the release of American pilots imprisoned in the North (1973 - 2023).

Visitors will have the chance to learn about the “silence” after US carpet bombings and fierce battles, as well as the losses and sacrifice suffered by every soldier and civilian during the 12 days and nights of resisting the airstrikes.

At the opening ceremony, visitors watched a re-enactment of the prompt preparations for the evacuation of people in the north and the continued production and fighting during wartime.

They can also feel the “silence” behind the stone walls of the “Hanoi Hilton”, an ironic name that imprisoned US pilots gave to Hoa Lo Prison.

During the historic 12 day-and-night battle in December 1972, the Vietnamese army and people defeated US airstrikes in the north, shooting down 81 aircraft of all types, including 34 B-52s, forcing the US to sign the Paris Agreement in January 1973 on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam.

The triumph is known as the “Dien Bien Phu in the air” victory, taking its name from the victory in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign in 1954 that put an end to French colonial rule over Indochina./.


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