"While the country was still suffering from pain and destruction, I - a young person - could not stand still, I wanted to do my part in the struggle against the US to save the country."

This excerpt is from Loc Thi Hong's application for military service, written in blood, which the girl from the northern province of Lang Son submitted at the age of 17.

The application is one of 200 artifacts and images on display in the "Memories and Faith" exhibition opening December 19 at the Vietnam Women's Museum.

The exhibition is sponsored by the Vietnam Women's Museum from valuable documents and artifacts collected over the past 20 years. This is the result of working trips across the country to gather stories from historical witnesses and relatives of the heroic fallen who fought on the battlefields.

Some war memorabilia, including an application to join the army written in blood (center) Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times

The exhibition is divided into three thematic areas: "Ready to Go," "Belief in Victory," and "The Day of Return".

The exhibition includes a volunteer application written in blood, a diary of a female soldier from Truong Son about the road to battle and years of service in the army, a letter from a fallen soldier to his wife filled with nostalgia and belief in the day of reunion, the harmonica used by a soldier to play the song "Sacrificing one's life for the people" next to a time bomb to encourage the spirit of his comrades.

How a small nation like Vietnam could defeat adversaries with enormous economic and military might was one of the questions the exhibit helped visitors answer.

The exhibition also emphasized the close relationship between the rear and the front, inspiring the younger generation to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors who led honorable lives by living with faith, dreams and aspirations.

A visitor at the exhibition. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times

In her opening speech, Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, Vice President of the Vietnam Women's Union, said that over the past 80 years, generations of officers and soldiers of the Vietnam People's Army have built a heroic and indomitable tradition with their talent, intelligence, courage, determination to fight and win, unafraid of difficulties and hardships, and willing to sacrifice for the Fatherland.

According to Hien, the memories of the special guests recreated through pictures, documents in the exhibition and stories will be valuable lessons and a great source of emotional encouragement for the younger generations to join hands and build a happy and prosperous life in the new era, contributing to educating the younger generation about the nation's tradition, about a glorious past that must not be forgotten, and to follow in the footsteps of previous generations.

While visiting the exhibition, Tran Thi Ly Nhan (Hanoi) was moved when she saw a photo of her family displayed by the museum. It was a photo of Tran Trong Hoan and Phan Thi Mien with their four children before Hoan left for the southern battlefield in 1964. Nhan was one of the four children, just nine years old that year.

"My father joined the resistance war and died heroically in battle, leaving behind his wife and four young children. Like many other soldiers, he was willing to put aside his personal happiness to go to war. I hope that the relics his family donated to the museum will continue to be displayed and introduced to spread the tradition of patriotism and sacrifice of the previous generation," Nhan said.

The exhibition "Memories and Faith" opens to the public from December 19  until the end of this year at the Vietnamese Women's Museum, 36 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.