HÀ NỘI — Commando Ba Mủ (whose real name is Đỗ Văn Căn) disguised himself as a rubber latex collector to fool the enemy. He used a tricycle to transport weapons to serve the South Việt Nam liberation forces during the 1968 Tết Offensive.

The tricycle is on display at exhibition that opened on Friday in Hà Nội.

Entitled The Epic of the 1968 Tết Offensive, the exhibition celebrates the 50th anniversary of the victory of the campaign.

The exhibition displays more than 300 images, documents and objects. Ba Mủ’s tricycle is one among many objects showcased to the public for the first time.

The exhibition is divided into three parts: devotion for the battlefield, the historical turning point and echoes of the epic. They depict the determination of Vietnamese people and soldiers in fighting for peace and liberation.

“The Military History Museum of Việt Nam organised the exhibition with the aim of asserting the historical magnitude and significance of the general offensive and uprising in 1968,” said Nguyễn Xuân Năng, director of the museum.

“During nearly two months of attack and insurrection, the Tết Offensive 1968 marked a strategic turning point for the resistance war against the US and its allies. It caused the US a ‘sudden shock’, disrupting their strategic plan, shaking the White House, the Pentagon and all of the US and forced President Johnson to deescalate the war and agree to sign the historic Paris Peace Accord. The victory also helped lead to the liberation of  southern Việt Nam and the unity of the country in 1975.”

“The 1968 Tết Offensive affirmed the outstanding, visionary leadership of the Party and President Hồ Chí Minh,” said Năng.

“It promoted patriotism, national pride and the will to overcome all difficulties to fulfill the task of building and protecting the country.”

The exhibition will run until the end of February at the Military History Museum of Việt Nam, 28A Điện Biên Phủ Street, Hà Nội. — VNS