An exhibition at the Ho Chi Minh Museum celebrates Hanoi's heroic struggle for independence, peace and reunification last century.

On display are more than 200 documents, pictures and objects, many of them for the first time, designed to give visitors an insight into the country's struggles during President Ho Chi Minh's life and the subsequent years that saw military victory against the US and the reunification of the country.

The exhibition is divided into three parts.

The first features famous quotations, and maps and pictures of old Hanoi that strive to capture the ancient city's elegance, refinement and beauty during its struggle for independence from colonial France .

Many documents and pictures celebrate the fearless determination of the people of Hanoi to overcome their colonial oppressors.

The second part of the exhibition covers the period during the American war of destruction against North Vietnam . It bids to depict Hanoi as the spiritual capital of the country.

Hanoi established itself as a centre of socialist construction while helping the rest of the country fight US forces.

The last part of the exhibition portrays Hanoi as the City for Peace, the titled bestowed by UNESCO.

In 1975, Vietnam gained total independence. Hanoi then set about healing the wounds of war. Pictures reflect the capital's socio-economic development and urban renewal.

A visitor from Germany said the exhibition had helped him see the war from a different perspective.

"I often see documents and pictures of the war in Vietnam through information sources of the US , but this is the first time I have seen the country and its capital through documents in Vietnam ," he said.

The National Archives Centre, the Ho Chi Minh Museum, the Party Central Committee's Archival Office and the Hanoi Central Archives have organised the exhibition to mark Hanoi 's 1,000th year.

The exhibition will run until October./.