The Air Defense Forces Museum in Hanoi is better known as the B-52 Victory Museum. It is easy to recognize by the rather unusual exhibit at the entrance to the building – the remains of a crashed B-52 . This is the aircraft “Roza-01,” shot down on the first day of the carpet bombing of Hanoi.
From December 18 to 29, 1972, the city was subjected to the most brutal bombing, which was carried out without interruption virtually around the clock. During those 12 terrible days, more than 10 thousand bombs were dropped on the capital, which is roughly equivalent to 5 atomic explosions in Hiroshima! The courageous defense of the city did not surrender and held out to the end; during that time, Vietnam's air defense and air force shot down 81 aircraft, including 34 B-52 bombers.
The museum's exhibits introduce tourists to the history of the Vietnamese people's courage and heroism, as well as to the tragic chronicle of the war. The main part of the thematic collections on display consists of selections of photographs from the sites of the events. The museum also has documents, military trophies, and ordinary household items. Outside, the building is surrounded by an exhibition of all kinds of military equipment that in 1972 was used by the air defense forces to protect against the deadly B-52s.
