Under the auspices of the French Embassy in Viet Nam, museum cooperation between France and Viet Nam has been furthered through a new and promising project in Dien Bien Phu.
During their fieldwork, the French experts shared knowledge and experience in exhibition design, museology, conservation and archiving; supported the modernisation of visitor tours at the Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum; and collected documentation for future exhibitions to be held in Dien Bien Phu.
In 2026, a series of further important activities are planned, notably a working visit by the Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum to Caen, France.
Founded in 1988 in Normandy, the Caen Memorial Museum is one of Europe’s largest 20th-century history museums. Dedicated to peace and the memory of modern conflicts, it attracts more than 500,000 visitors annually. Its permanent and thematic exhibitions cover the Second World War, the Cold War and contemporary global challenges.
This mission formed part of cooperation between the Caen Memorial Museum and the Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum, formalised in May 2025 through the signing of a memorandum of understanding. The agreement sets out goals to exchange expertise in museology, exhibition design, conservation, archiving, mediation and communications; modernise the permanent tour routes of the Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum with Caen’s support; and collect materials for future exhibitions in Dien Bien Phu.
The initiative also reflects the shared desire of France and Viet Nam to engage in dialogue on their common history.
Kléber Arhoul, Director General of the Caen Memorial Museum, affirmed that the two institutions share a mission to study the history of wars in order to reflect on the conditions of peace. “It is precisely this shared mission that underpins our cooperation, through which the Caen Memorial Museum is honoured to contribute to strengthening ties between the two nations,” he said.
Reflecting on the mission in Dien Bien Phu, historian and head of the French delegation Clément Fabre said that studying the historic turning point of the Dien Bien Phu Victory together with Vietnamese colleagues, and sharing knowledge and expertise on this collective memory, was both meaningful and rewarding.
On the Vietnamese side, the leadership of the Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum highly valued the in-depth sharing of museological expertise, ranging from research and collecting to exhibition design and preservation. With a spirit of open cooperation, the French specialists generously offered valuable insights and practical recommendations tailored to the museum’s actual conditions.
The Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum is dedicated to the historic 1954 battle. It conducts research, collection, cataloguing, conservation, exhibition and educational activities, alongside services aligned with its functions, to promote the value of artefacts related to the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. The museum contributes to education, cultural enjoyment and the enhancement of people’s spiritual life, as well as to socio-economic development in Dien Bien Province. It houses and displays more than 7,000 documents, artefacts and objects related to the battle.
