Of War History and Beautiful Women

Of War History and Beautiful Women

A French Cannon

They say every Vietnamese is a fighter and they always fight to win irrespective of the means and/or who the enemy is. A visit to the Vietnam Military History Museum in Hanoi will confirm this adage. They have proven the point a number of times by winning many wars against much stronger enemy. Since times prehistoric the Vietnamese have been fighting wars. It was against the Chinese in olden times and, recently in the twentieth century, against the French and the US. Their last recorded military action is in the late seventies in Cambodia against the tyrant Pol Pot.

The heroics of the Vietnamese fighters are well recorded and maintained in the museum collection. From the crude weaponry ranging from the 3rd millennium BC to the relatively modern one used to defeat the US in the mid-seventies of the last century, we can have a fair glimpse of all. The audio visual session in a small auditorium is well presented except for that it is entirely in the Vietnamese language. Wish they had an English edition as well.

On the display are weapons seized from the French and the US forces fighting in Vietnam. US fighter planes are displayed as are the Soviet made MIGs and missiles which helped them subjugate the Americans. Also there is the wreckage of an American fighter plane downed by the Vietnamese forces. And there is this picture of a woman fighter gathering / draging out the wreckage of the downed bomber.

Ms. Ha Thi Ninh collecting pieces
of a downed US bomber.

Vietnamese women are very beautiful. They are bold and brave too. What a better example of boldness, bravery, and beauty than this picture of Ms. Ha Thi Ninth – a militia fighter, pulling / collecting the remains of the once fierce and firebrand US bomber? The international Women's Day was two days ago. A belated but appropriate tribute through this picture to the bold and beautiful of the world.