HÀ NỘI — An exhibition on the late General Võ Nguyên Giáp (1911-2013) opened in Hà Nội this morning on the occasion of his 110th birthday and the 77th founding anniversary of the Việt Nam People’s Army.

The exhibition titled "Theo dấu chân Đại tướng" (In the footsteps of the General) was held at the Vietnamese Women's Museum, and includes 110 poems by teacher, poet and journalist Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Dung, who had the opportunity to meet and write many articles and poems about the talented general over more than 20 years.

The exhibition opened at Vietnamese Women's Museum. VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Hiếu

The poems at the exhibition are accompanied by photos of the Việt Nam News Agency, Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Dung and photographer-Colonel Trần Hồng.

This is the first time there is a poetry-photographic exhibition recreating the historic victory of Điện Biên Phủ as well as the daily life of General Võ Nguyên Giáp and the people's affection for him.

Nguyễn Hải Vân, director of the Vietnamese Women's Museum expressed her hope that the exhibition would be a meaningful gift and tribute to Võ Nguyên Giáp, a great general of Việt Nam and a military genius.

"The special thing about this exhibition is that, for the first time, the Vietnamese Women's Museum has organised an exhibition of poetry by teacher and poet Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Dung, a woman with a heart of gratitude and respect for the legendary general. With a unique approach, the exhibition has demonstrated that a woman's approach always has its own strength from the tenderness and femininity in the soul, yet has a strong impact,” Vân said

The exhibition consists of three themes.

The first theme titled “Làm nên chiến thắng lịch sử Điện Biên Phủ” (Way to the historic victory of Điện Biên Phủ) introduces the scenes of Điện Biên Phủ Campaign under the leadership of General Võ Nguyên Giáp.

The second theme “Vị tướng trong lòng dân” (General in the hearts of the people) introduces the simple and everyday moments of the legendary General.

The third theme “Sáng mãi ngàn năm” (Shining for thousands of years) affirms the love and respect of the Vietnamese people for General Võ Nguyên Giáp through emotional moments on the day of national mourning.

Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Dung said: “I love history, respect history, and at the same time it is imbued with Uncle Hồ's teaching ‘dân ta phải biết sử ta’ (our people must know our history), therefore, I decided to do just that. I intend to make this exhibition so that people, especially young people, can better understand the historical figure, General Võ Nguyên Giáp, and the historic event, the Điện Biên Phủ victory."

The exhibition brings emotion to visitors. VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Hiếu

Võ Hòa Bình, daughter of General Võ Nguyên Giáp, expressed her emotion when visiting the exhibition. She affirmed that the Vietnamese Women's Museum had a unique way of presenting art works, very feminine,  proving that tenderness and simplicity have a strong pervasive power.

“The presentation of the exhibition is very close to the General's style, which is simple and profound. Simple but still going deep into people's hearts. The exhibition shows the General's attachment to the people and the people's affection for him," she said. VNS