The "80 Years of Independence - Freedom - Happiness" exhibition at the National Exhibition Construction Center (Dong Anh, Hanoi) has been packed with visitors. Colonel Nguyen Thu Huong, deputy director of the Military Exhibition and Trade Promotion Center, the unit in charge of the Ministry of National Defense's exhibit, said this year's highlight is the application of modern image, sound, and virtual reality technology to allow people to relive historical moments.

Colonel Nguyen Thu Huong. Photo: Son Ha

Colonel Nguyen Thu Huong. Photo: Son Ha

Inside, the Ministry of National Defense showcased 334 artifacts, replicas, restored items, along with military uniforms, equipment, weapons, and vehicles. Five areas are arranged in a historical flow, combining lighting effects, 3D mapping, and holograms to recreate the journey of the Vietnam People’s Army, linked to the nation's milestones.

Visitors can wear VR glasses to "travel back in time" to various periods: from the Van Lang and Au Lac eras to the establishment of the Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army, President Ho Chi Minh's reading of the Declaration of Independence on 2/9/1945, and the nationwide resistance in 1946. LED screens, models, and actual artifacts combine to create a visual and emotional experience.

Besides the historical timeline, the army's interactive area focuses on specific battles and campaigns. People can don VR glasses and become soldiers driving trucks along the Truong Son trail amidst bombs and bullets, or crawling through the dark and narrow Cu Chi tunnels.

VR films transport viewers to Dien Bien Phu in 1954, the "Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu in the Air" campaign in 1972, and the Ho Chi Minh campaign in the spring of 1975. Realistic images and sounds made many young people exclaim, "It feels like I'm right there in the battle.".

Young people are willing to wait 20 to 30 minutes to experience the shooting simulator. Photo: Thanh Tung

Young people are willing to wait 20 to 30 minutes to experience the shooting simulator. Photo: Thanh Tung

Colonel Huong said all interactive areas are popular, especially among young people. Since the opening, almost 100,000 visitors have participated in the simulations. Not only recreating history, many booths also utilize modern technology to enhance the experience. Viettel High Tech brought a shooting simulator, attracting long lines of people waiting for their turn.

This system uses real guns fitted with infrared laser modules and wireless recoil devices, maintaining the original weight and frame, providing a realistic shooting experience. Users can practice basic shooting drills, rapid fire, and advanced combat scenarios in a safe 3D environment. The software also allows for curriculum editing and training data management. The entire system fits in a suitcase and can be set up in less than 15 minutes.

In the "95 Years of the Party Flag Leading the Way" area, Viettel uses AR/MR technology for precise positioning within the 8,000 m2 space, allowing visitors to use phones or specialized glasses to explore digital content layers superimposed on the real environment. Viewers can "touch" historical moments, from "Dien Bien Phu in the Air" to the image of the Party flag waving, creating a powerful visual effect.

Visitors witness a live performance combining images, sound, light, and modern technology, recreating the atmosphere of the strategic decisive battle of 1954. Photo: Thanh Tung

Visitors witness a live performance combining images, sound, light, and modern technology, recreating the atmosphere of the strategic decisive battle of 1954. Photo: Thanh Tung

Beyond the military, other organizations offer interactive activities. Vietnam Airlines set up a simulated Airbus A320/321 cockpit, where guests can experience takeoff and landing like a pilot or sit in business class.

At the cinema booth, people can role-play as soldiers and film short videos recreating scenes from the movie "Peaches, Pho, and Piano" in a digital studio. Vietnam Television offers the "Marching with the Parade" experience: through VR glasses, guests become air defense officers or special forces police in a parade formation.

"We want people not just to see artifacts but also to touch, feel, and journey with history, thereby fostering patriotism, pride in tradition, and a sense of responsibility to protect the Fatherland from an early age, especially among the younger generation," said Colonel Nguyen Thu Huong.

The "80 Years of Independence - Freedom - Happiness" exhibition is open daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Organizing Committee said that on the first day, more than 230,000 visitors participated in activities at the booths. This is the largest-scale exhibition to date, featuring exhibits from the Party, Government, National Assembly, all ministries, localities, and hundreds of businesses. Virtual and augmented reality technologies transform the event from a mere showcase of achievements into a journey reliving history, connecting the heroic past with aspirations for national development.

Son Ha