'From Earth to Sky': Portraits of 108 Vietnamese fighter pilots

Hanoi (VNA) - Portraits of those who make history and objects associated with the "Hanoi – Dien Bien Phu in the air" are now displayed at the exhibition "From Earth to Sky". It is an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the "Hanoi – Dien Bien Phu in the air" victory (December 1972-2022) held by the Centre on Conservation of Thang Long – Hanoi Heritage.

On show are more than 100 documents divided into two themes: "B-52: Hanoi not taken by surprise" and "From Earth to Sky". They tell the stories of 108 Vietnamese pilots who are witnesses joining the fight to safeguard national independence and unification, including those who directly took part in the 1972 campaign.

According to Nguyen Thanh Quang, director of the centre, the exhibition helped shed light on the air defence posture prepared by the people and soldiers of Hanoi in particular and the north in general. It also highlights their victory over the US strategic aerial bombardment coded Linebacker II, especially the role of the command from Tunnel T1 of the General Staff to battlefields.

For the first time, the centre is applying 3D mapping technology to reconstitute the image of "Tunnel T1 in nights of firestorm", helping visitors have a detailed image of the atmosphere on the first night US forces sent B-52 strategic bombers to bombard Hanoi and other localities in the north, especially the moment the first aircraft of this kind was shot down from the Hanoi sky.

Tunnel T1 of the General Staff belongs to the Headquarters of the Vietnam People's Army in the war against the US forces. Built in 1964, it was where reports were received and direct orders given to all the country's battlefields.

During the last 12 days and nights of 1972, the tunnel performed three tasks at the same time: commanding the air defence campaign, ensuring the supplies for the south, and providing sirens for the people against aerial bombardments.

Soldiers sent out the first siren from the tunnel over Hanoi as US aircraft approached the city. The siren was sounded 35 minutes before the enemy's arrival for the people to take to their trenches and the soldiers to get ready to fight back.

Within the framework of the exhibition, the centre is joining hands with the Liaison Committee of Veterans of Air Force Regiment 923 in holding talk shows with witnesses and pilots of nocturnal squadrons hunting for B-52s.

Also at the opening ceremony, the organising board made public two books, the "108 Vietnamese fighter pilots" and the "Command tunnel – General Staff in Thang Long Royal Citadel Heritage Complex".

Memories shared through truthful stories retold by insiders will help the public and the young generations learn the revolutionary and pride-worthy tradition of their fathers and grandfathers, and cherish the glory of the victory.

Along with the exhibition in the Thang Long Royal Citadel Heritage Complex, another is organised by the B-52 Victory Museum under the name of "Hanoi – Dien Bien Phu in the air".

This comes from the cooperation and exchange of information, documents and objects of the two units to further popularise the valuable landmarks in Vietnam's military history in general and the "Hanoi – Dien Bien Phu in the air" victory in particular.

The exhibition was opened on December 14, 2022, at the Thang Long Royal Citadel Heritage Complex, No. 19 Hoang Dieu Avenue, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi./.