Looking to the past: Wartime letters and diaries depict the hardships of the war and people’s strong will to gain liberation.(Source:VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - In a letter sent fromthe battlefield to her mother in 1968, war martyr Vo Thi Tan wrote, “Bombs canshake mountains, but they can’t stir our will and hearts, my dear mother.”
It’s one among many letters and diaries ondisplay at an ongoing exhibition at the Vietnam Military History Museum in Hanoi, which is organised to celebrate the Reunification Day (April 30).
The exhibition, titled Letters and Diaries ofWartime, introduces 200 letters and diaries, with accompanying pictures,written in the resistance wars against the Americans and French.
“These documents will help people comprehendthe depth of emotion, optimism, belief, and determination of the soldiers whoovercame the hardships and sacrifices necessary for national independence,”said museum’s director Nguyen Xuan Nang.
The exhibition comprises two parts featuringletters and diaries sent during the wartime.
“It aims to educate the public, as well as toencourage members of the armed forces, especially the younger generation, torevisit the revolution’s tradition, and reinforce patriotism, national prideand a determination to safeguard the country in a new era,” he said.
These letters were a means for the soldiers onthe battlefield to exchange information and express emotion to their familiesand loved ones back home.
Due to the devastation of the war, manyletters couldn’t be sent to the receivers. Sometimes, it took many years todeliver the letters. Many of them were old, worn out, and blurred upon beingdelivered.
“Most of the letters depict the hardships ofthe wartime, as well as a strong spirit to overcome the difficulties of war,and a constant hope to reunite with loved ones once the country was liberated,”said Nang.
The exhibition displayed handwritten diariesof soldiers on the front, some of which include sketches.
They are notes about life, fighting, studying,and thoughts of soldiers on the front or loved ones back home.
“These diaries are reliable historical sourcesabout life, time, place, and the devastation of the war,” said Nang.
Nguyen Ba Hanh, a soldier from Military Zone5, which protected the southern central region, wrote in his diary: “The warcan destroy everything except the people’s ideal, the desire for peace and thestrong will of Ho Chi Minh’s soldiers.”
Among the objects, the diary of war martyr NguyenVan Nam (1952-72) is showcased to the public for the first time. US Secretaryof Defence Ashton Carter handed the diary to the then-Minister of Defence PhungQuang Thanh in 2015. Carter said the belongings of Nam had been lost for 43years in the US. He said the US military had hoped the personal effects wouldbe returned to the dead soldier’s family, to soothe the hurt of the past. Inthis way, two peoples can look forward to a brighter future, he said.
The exhibition will run until May 15 at the VietnamMilitary History Museum, located at 28A Dien Bien Phu street, Hanoi.-VNA
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