(VOVworld) – Returning from battlefields, Vietnamese war veterans have continued to contribute to building their home provinces and the nation. Lam Van Bang of Nam Trieu commune, Phu Xuyen district, Hanoi, is director of one of Vietnam’s first private museums. He has stirred patriotism in the young. Bui Hang reports:

72-year-old Bang was born in Hanoi and joined the army in 1965. During a fierce battle he was severely wounded and captured and imprisoned by the enemy in Phu Quoc prison. In 1973 he returned home and worked in the transportation sector. In 1985 Bang decided to use 2,000 square meters of his family’s land to build a house to display war memorabilia, which was then recognized by the local administration as a self-managed museum. His museum of captured and imprisoned revolutionary soldiers made its debut in 2006. The museum now preserves approximately 4,000 objects, which are divided into 10 themes, featuring the fighting spirit of generations of Vietnamese soldiers. Bang said: “We were born and raised during the time of war so we volunteered to go to the southern front. I saw many of my comrades die on the battlefield and others captured and tortured. This memory has obsessed me. Between 1985 and 2004 I traveled throughout Vietnam to collect war-related objects and photos for display. The museum passes the fire of revolution to the younger generations.”

Bang and his former comrades hold regular exhibitions and exchanges with agencies and sectors in Hanoi and other provinces. He also formed a troupe and a drum squad to perform and communicate life skills to young people. Bang said he hopes his activities will spread the tradition of remembering the source of the water we drink and the tradition of mutual assistance: “We want to uphold the fire of revolution and pass it on to the younger generations. We have gone to many remote areas, boarding schools and universities to hold exhibitions to show the great sacrifices of our national heroes. The younger generations should be grateful and treasure what those heroes did for us.”

Phung Van Thao, President of Phu Xuyen district’s War Veterans’ Association, said: “The museum has welcomed many domestic and foreign visitors. Bang and his former comrades have held exchanges with historical witnesses at the museum so the young can learn from their predecessors’ example.

Bang said what he has been doing is to pay tribute to his comrades and inspire the younger generations to contribute to national construction and defense.