The red-covered book, engraved with four golden words “Sổ ghi cảm tưởng” (Guestbook), rests on a small table. Within its thick pages are thousands of written entries from domestic and international tourists on their journey back to history in the heroic land of Điện Biên Phủ.

Some carefully write down their thoughts, filling entire pages. Sometimes, it is just a few brief sentences. But all are filled with sincere emotions when standing before the artifacts, documents, and especially the panorama painting - a place that vividly recreates the 56 days and nights of “digging mountains, sleeping in tunnels, enduring heavy rain, and eating squeezed rice” of our army and people during the Điện Biên Phủ Campaign. Each entry is a very personal encounter with history, where the past and present are connected by gratitude and national pride.

Flipping through each page of the guestbook, on March 8, 2026, I came across the handwriting of a tourist named Lê Tất Thắng: “I was born when the Điện Biên Phủ campaign achieved total victory. Therefore, my parents named me Tất Thắng (Total Victory). Returning to Điện Biên Phủ today, visiting the Điện Biên Phủ Victory Museum, I am truly moved. I am forever grateful to the heroic martyrs who sacrificed themselves to protect the Fatherland.”

The brief words leave readers in awe, evoking the special bond between a person and a historical milestone of the nation. After 72 years, the echoes of the Điện Biên Phủ Victory are still present in the memories of many families, in the stories told by forefathers, and even in the names of children born amidst the joy of that victorious year. That is also how history continues to live in today’s life, not dry on the pages of a book but present in the memories, feelings, and gratitude of every Vietnamese person.

On another page, the long, page-filling entry by tourist Mai Khoa Thức, who works at the Coastal Branch of the Vietnam - Russia Tropical Center, renders many speechless due to its sincerity and emotion. During his recent visit to Điện Biên, he wrote: “...In the emotional joy of a soldier born, raised, and matured under the socialist school, enjoying the fruits of peace from the contributions and sacrifices of many generations... To have the peaceful and happy life today, we are immensely grateful to the country, the merits of our compatriots and soldiers, the blood and bones of the troops and frontline workers who fought to win peace and independence for the Vietnamese nation... I vow to dedicate myself fully to the cause of building and fighting to protect the Fatherland, worthy of the sacrifices of our forefathers...”

In the space recreating the old battlefield, seeing with one’s own eyes the artillery pieces, pack bicycles, ammunition boxes, soldiers’ letters, or witnessing the entire campaign through the massive panorama painting, the promise “vow to dedicate myself fully” is no longer a slogan but becomes a personal reminder of the responsibility to preserve the peaceful achievements that countless generations exchanged their blood and bones for.

What is precious is that these emotions do not solely belong to the previous generations or those who served in the military. Many young people today, although born and raised in peacetime, still find moments of quiet reflection after visiting the museum. Phạm Hồng Quân, a tourist from Hạ Long (Quảng Ninh province), shared that the museum space is presented scientifically and vividly, helping viewers easily visualize the arduous life and combat of our army and people in the past. To Phạm Hồng Quân, this is not merely a tourist trip but also a journey to better understand the nation’s history.

Visiting Điện Biên with family during the historic days of May, Nguyễn Công Dũng, a tourist from Hưng Yên province, spent a long time in front of the panorama painting. In the guestbook, Nguyễn Công Dũng wrote: “This is my second time returning to Điện Biên. The emotions remain as intact and profound as the first time. Standing before the 360-degree panoramic painting at the Điện Biên Phủ Victory Museum, I was truly speechless. The vast space and vivid images made me feel immersed in the heroic atmosphere of history, feeling the many sacrifices, hardships, and indomitable spirit of our forefathers in the past...”

Not stopping at personal emotions, Nguyễn Công Dũng’s entry also contains reflections on the responsibilities of today’s generation: “Amidst a trip that brought much joy, reunion, and everyday moments with family, stopping here helped me slow down and reflect more on the value of peace today. As a young person born and raised in peacetime, I feel grateful and tell myself to live better, to be more responsible to myself, my family, and the country...”

Perhaps that is also the common feeling of many people when coming to Điện Biên today. Where war artifacts and heroic memories reside, many tourists stop for a long time to pay tribute to the past, to better understand that the peaceful life today is not naturally acquired. Behind the wide-open roads, bright red schools with today’s smiles... are the years of arduous fighting, the sacrifices of countless generations of forefathers!

Not only Vietnamese people, but many international tourists also feel a special emotion when visiting the Điện Biên Phủ Victory Museum. Joining the stream of visitors to the Museum in the late days of May were Pascal and his wife, coming from an island in France. After a journey through many Southeast Asian countries, they chose Điện Biên Phủ as their final stop.

After touring the artifact exhibition area and admiring the panorama painting, Pascal could not hide his surprise. In his guestbook entry, Pascal shared that he had visited many war museums in different countries, but the Điện Biên Phủ Victory Museum is truly special because of its emotional and authentic historical recreation. He hopes that the values and significance of the 1954 Điện Biên Phủ Victory will continue to be preserved, becoming a lesson for future generations about peace and patriotism.

The guestbook entries in Vietnamese, French, or English... though different in language, all converge on the emotion before the resilient will of the Vietnamese nation and humanity’s desire for peace. The immortal Điện Biên Phủ spirit and the people of Điện Biên today do not reopen the wounds of the past, but remind us of the value of peace, the power of patriotism, and the will for national independence.

Among those pages, I also encountered the handwriting of students expressing their gratitude and desire to build the Fatherland. “The peace we enjoy today was exchanged with so much blood and bones from our forefathers’ generations. Our generation will strive to study, work, develop, and build the country” - below the entry signed by Lê Linh Trang. The simple words reflect the genuine emotions of the young generation when touching history closely for the first time, continuing the values of the past in the most natural and sustainable way.

Every day, the guestbook at the Điện Biên Phủ Victory Museum grows thicker with lines of text. Among them is the trembling handwriting of an old soldier, the profound emotional lines of visitors from afar, the still clumsy handwriting of students, and messages in multiple languages from international friends.

The common emotion, the thing that lingers in the hearts of many people when leaving the Điện Biên Phủ Victory Museum, is that historical memories do not lie still in artifacts or document pages that have faded over time. History is still being written with the gratitude, pride, and sense of responsibility of today’s generations towards the country’s future. I would like to borrow Nguyễn Công Dũng’s entry to conclude the article: “Điện Biên is not only a tourist destination but also a place to remember, to be proud of, and to return to the profound values of the nation.”