As a former volunteer for the Vietnam National Museum of History, I am aware of the fact that many of the photos exhibited in the gallery of the Revolution Building were copies of the originals. However, it was during our visit to the Revolution Building on Friday that I discovered another interesting story: some of the war photos were taken during “reconstructions” of historical events. This means that the historical events were recreated in the same or similar environment; the people who were involved in the original events were present; and pictures were taken during these reconstructed events. The three pictures that the staff pointed out to us were: the foundation ceremony of the predecessor of the Vietnamese Army; the capturing of General de Castries – the French commander in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954; and the flying of the Vietnamese flag on top of de Castries’ command post. The captions for all of these pictures only included the date and description of the original event.
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| "Foundation Ceremony of Armed Propaganda Brigade for the Liberation of Vietnam... in 1944" (taken in 1959) |
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| "General de Castries and the entire French staff in Điện Biên Phủ were taken alive... in 1954" (taken in 1959) |
There has not been any research into the reason behind this lack of footage of the original events. This could be, for example, due to secrecy or a lack of photography equipment. Nevertheless, the three pictures are all famous; the Vietnamese flag on top of the French command post, in particular, has gained symbolic meaning to many generations, representing the triumph of Vietnamese people over the French colonial rule as well as presented in many history text book as fact. Informing the public that these photos were not taken during the original events can result in many different outcomes for the public’s perception of the museum.
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| The flying of the Vietnamese flag on top of de Castries' command post, present in the museum and history textbooks |
Museums serve as an institute that provides facts and commemorates the past. Revealing the story behind these photos can disrupt these functions, especially in Vietnam because these photos are used to remind current generations of how much our grandparents and parents had sacrificed for peace and independence. In addition, there will undoubtedly be criticism on the museum’s inability to check the accuracy of these photos as well as the insistence on providing a dishonest account of history. Moreover, it is impossible to predict how people will react when the museum attempts to correct the information and provides a version of history that clashes with people’s memories and interpretation. Will the symbol lose its meaning to millions of people who have come to take the pictures in the exhibitions and textbooks as “truth”? Will it be better if the museum continues to exhibit the ‘reconstructed’ and ‘romanticised’ version of the past that support people’s memories?
On the other hand, others might praise this move an attempt to fulfil the two main functions of museum, i.e. providing facts and commemorating the past. As people develop new technology and skill to evaluate the authenticity of artefacts, they will definitely come up with explanations that dispute the original account. When the museum acknowledges its shortcomings, it also acknowledges its responsibility to provide information to the public to the best of its ability. In terms of commemoration, the fact that these events were reconstructed already signifies the need to commemorate them. Without the intention to provide future generations with the means to remember and commemorate events such as the foundation of the army or the victory over the enemies, people would not have recreated these events, and the photos would not have existed. On the other hand, the museum can also present other documentations alongside the pictures to support the date and the presence of the people in these photos. The museum also has a responsibility to honour the memories of the people who participated in these reconstructed events.
The fact that the museum chooses to display a photo taken at a much later date than the event in the description will draw many contrasting opinions. Correcting existing account is a problem that many museums will face in the future, and balancing different expectations will not be an easy task.
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