The Hoa Lo Prison relic site re-enacts the scene of Hanoi on Liberation Day on October 10, 1954. (photo: chinhphu.vn)

The exhibition has two parts: “Long resistance war” and “Historic returning day”. 

"Long resistance war" displays images of the capital’s soldiers and citizens responding to the appeal for national resistance with a firm vow and fighting spirit. They were 'determined to brave death for the survival of the Fatherland'. 

"Historic returning day" depicts 9 years of arduous resistance war against the French colonialists up until the victory day. Some visitors are revolutionary veterans, former political prisoners of Hoa Lo Prison, or students in Hanoi during the resistance war from 1947 to 1954.

90-year-old Colonel Duong Niet, a former soldier with the Binh Ca Battalion, said, “On October 10, 1954, I was 19 years old. I joined the army to fight at the Dien Bien Phu battlefield and then we returned to take over Hanoi. The Binh Ca Battalion’s 214 soldiers were the main force of the Vietnam People's Army. I took over the Police Department at 87 Tran Hung Dao street. The exhibition reminds us of the triumphant past and shows us the results of national construction by the young generation.”

Do Hong Phan is a former student at Chu Van An High School and former Secretary of the Student Resistance Union of Trung Vuong Girls' High School in Hanoi.

“At that time, national spirit was very strong. Young people spread propaganda leaflets and hung flags calling for resistance. I participated in the student movement, and in mid-1952 the Youth Union took me to the free zone. On October 10, 1954, I went with the army to Hanoi. There is a photo of my friends welcoming the liberation troops at the corner of Dinh Tien Hoang Street by Hoan Kiem Lake,” Phan said.

Some visitors to the exhibition also attended the re-enactment of the flag saluting ceremony held by political prisoners. 

Ha Linh, a student at the Academy of Journalism and Communication, said, “I was extremely moved listening to the narration and I learned a lot about history. I’m very proud of the victories of our ancestors. As a student, I’m aware of my duty to study and live better to be worthy of the sacrifices of our predecessors.”

69 years have passed, but the day the Liberation Army advanced to take over the capital on October 10, 1954, will forever remind the younger generation to live well and contribute to the development of the capital.