The Vietnamese People's Air Force Museum, Hanoi or Bảo Tàng Phòng Không - Không Quân is located on Duong Truong Chinh (Truong Chinh Street) in the Bach Mai District of Hanoi

Hanoi

Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...

. The museum is on the edge of the disused Bach Mai Airfield

Bach Mai Airfield

Bach Mai Airfield is a disused military airport in Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi, Vietnam, located along modern-day Le Trong Tan street. It was constructed by the French in 1917 and used by French forces until 1954; along with Gia Lam Airbase, it was one the major logistics bases supporting French...

.

The museum tells the history of the Vietnamese People's Air Force (VPAF) from its formation in 1954 through to the present day. There is a heavy emphasis on its role in the Second Indochina War and the Cambodian-Vietnamese War

Cambodian-Vietnamese War

The Cambodian–Vietnamese War was an armed conflict between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and Democratic Kampuchea. The war began with isolated clashes along the land and maritime boundaries of Vietnam and Kampuchea between 1975 and 1977, occasionally involving division-sized military formations...

. The museum comprises one main building with displays on the history of the VPAF, biographies of VPAF aces, uniforms and flightsuits, aircraft weaponry and engines, items from downed US aircraft and the forward fuselage of a MiG-21. Outside is a static park with aircraft of the VPAF and the Republic of Vietnam Air Force.

The museum is open Mon.-Thurs. and Sat. from 08:00 to 11:00 and 13:00 to 16:00. Entry fee is 20,000 VND

Aircraft on Display

Aircraft on outside display include:

• Aero L-29 Delfin
  Aero L-29 Delfin
  |-See also:-References:* Gunston, Bill, ed. "Aero L-29 Delfin." The Encyclopedia of World Air Power. New York: Crescent Books, 1990. ISBN 0-517-53754-0....
  
  
• Antonov An-2
  Antonov An-2
  The Antonov An-2 is a single-engine biplane utility/agricultural aircraft designed in the USSR in 1946...
  
  

Plaque states that this aircraft was used in the attack on a secret US radar site at Phou Pha Thi (Battle of Lima Site 85

Battle of Lima Site 85

The Battle of Lima Site 85, also called Battle of Phou Pha Thi, was fought as part of a military campaign waged during the Vietnam War and Laotian Civil War by the Vietnam People’s Army and the Pathet Lao, against airmen of the United States Air Force 1st Combat Evaluation Group, elements of the ...

)

• Bell UH-1 Iroquois
  UH-1 Iroquois
  The Bell UH-1 Iroquois is a military helicopter powered by a single, turboshaft engine, with a two-bladed main rotor and tail rotor. The helicopter was developed by Bell Helicopter to meet the United States Army's requirement for a medical evacuation and utility helicopter in 1952, and first flew...
  
   H model
• Cessna A-37 Dragonfly
• Cessna O-1 Bird Dog
• Douglas A-1 Skyraider
  A-1 Skyraider
  The Douglas A-1 Skyraider was an American single-seat attack aircraft that saw service between the late 1940s and early 1980s. It became a piston-powered, propeller-driven anachronism in the jet age, and was nicknamed "Spad", after a French World War I fighter...
  
   H model
• Kamov Ka-25
  Kamov Ka-25
  |-See also:-Bibliography:* Gunston, Bill. “The Osprey Encyclopaedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995”. London, Osprey. 1995. ISBN 1 85532 405 9-External links:* http://www.aviation.ru/Ka/#25* http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/ka-25.php...
  
  Bsh
• McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II
  F-4 Phantom II
  The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
  
   B model (wreckage)
• Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17
  Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17
  The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft produced in the USSR from 1952 and operated by numerous air forces in many variants. Most MiG-17 variants cannot carry air-to-air missiles, but shot down many aircraft with its cannons...
  
  F

Plaque states that on April 19, 1972 this aircraft, piloted by Nguyen Van Bay

Nguyen Van Bay

Nguyen Van Bay was a jet fighter ace for the Vietnam People's Air Force during the Vietnam War. Piloting a MiG-17F while assigned to the 923rd Fighter Regiment, Bay claimed 7 aerial combat victories while engaged against aircraft of the USAF and USN: 2 F-8s, 1 F-4B, 1 A-4C and 1 F-105D...

, in company with #2019, piloted by Le Xuan Di, bombed the USS Higbee (DD-806)

USS Higbee (DD-806)

USS Higbee was a in the United States Navy during World War II. She was the first US warship named for a female member of the U.S. Navy, being named for Chief Nurse Lenah S. Higbee , a pioneering Navy nurse who served as Superintendent of the U.S...

 and USS Oklahoma City (CLG-5)

USS Oklahoma City (CLG-5)

USS Oklahoma City was one of 27 United States Navy light cruisers completed during or shortly after World War II, and one of six to be converted to guided missile cruisers. She was the first US Navy ship to be named for Oklahoma City, Oklahoma...

 in the Gulf of Tonkin

Gulf of Tonkin

The Gulf of Tonkin is an arm of the South China Sea, lying off the coast of northeastern Vietnam.-Etymology:The name Tonkin, written "東京" in Hán tự and Đông Kinh in romanised Vietnamese, means "Eastern Capital", and is the former toponym for Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam...

• Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21
  Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21
  The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was popularly nicknamed "balalaika", from the aircraft's planform-view resemblance to the Russian stringed musical instrument or ołówek by Polish pilots due to...
  
  MF & PFM

The MiG-21PFM has 12 victory stars painted on its nose, plaque states that one of the victories was US Air Force F-4E 67-0296, shot down on July 5th, 1972 by Nguyễn Tiến Sâm

Nguyễn Tiến Sâm

Nguyễn Tiến Sâm was a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 pilot of the Vietnamese People's Air Force, he flew with the 921st fighter regiment and tied for fourth place amongst Vietnam War fighter aces with six kills.Five of his six kills are known for certain::...

The MiG-21MF has 8 victory stars painted on its nose, plaque states that one of the victories was a B-52D model, shot down on December 27th, 1972 by Pham Tuan. This aircraft is displayed carrying an AA-1 Alkali radar guided missile inboard of an AA-2 Atoll IR-homing missile

• Mil Mi-4
  Mil Mi-4
  The Mil Mi-4 was a Soviet transport helicopter that served in both military and civilian roles.-Design and development:...
  
  

Plaque states that this was Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh

Hồ Chí Minh , born Nguyễn Sinh Cung and also known as Nguyễn Ái Quốc, was a Vietnamese Marxist-Leninist revolutionary leader who was prime minister and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam...

's personal helicopter

• Mil Mi-6
  Mil Mi-6
  |-Facts:*Test pilot N.B. Leshin has set the world record of speed. This event was awarded by the American Helicopter Society.*Small numbers are still in service, most in Siberia plus a small number with the People's Republic of China...
  
   Hook-A
• Mil Mi-24
  Mil Mi-24
  The Mil Mi-24 is a large helicopter gunship and attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport with room for 8 passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and operated since 1972 by the Soviet Air Force, its successors, and by over thirty other nations.In NATO circles the export...
  
   Hind A
• Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter
• Ryan Firebee
  Ryan Firebee
  The Ryan Firebee was a series of target drones or unmanned aerial vehicles developed by the Ryan Aeronautical Company beginning in 1951. It was one of the first jet-propelled drones, and one of the most widely-used target drones ever built....
  
   (wreckage)
• Shenyang J-5
  Shenyang J-5
  The Shenyang J-5 , originally designated Dongfeng-101 - , and also Type 56 before being designated J-5 in 1964, is a Chinese-built single-seat jet interceptor and fighter aircraft derived from the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17. The J-5 was exported as the F-5...
  
  

Plaque states that this aircraft scored 9 victories, one of which was US Air Force F-4C 63-7614, shot down on May 12th, 1967 by Ngo Duc Mai

• Shenyang J-6
  Shenyang J-6
  The Shenyang J-6 was the Chinese-built version of the Soviet MiG-19 'Farmer' fighter aircraft.-Design and development:...
  
  
• TL-1

A Vietnamese designed and built training and liaison aircraft

• Zlin Z-26

Other display items

Also on display outside are:

• 57 mm AZP S-60
  57 mm AZP S-60
  57 mm AZP S-60 ; literally: Automatic anti-aircraft gun S-60) is a Soviet towed, road-transportable, short- to medium-range, single-barrel anti-aircraft gun from the 1950s. The gun was extensively used in Warsaw Pact, Middle Eastern and South-East Asian countries.-History:In the late 1940s, the...
  
  
• Fan Song
  Fan Song
  The Fan Song is the NATO reporting name for a series of trailer-mounted E band/F band and G band fire control and tracking radars for use with the Soviet SA-2 Guideline surface-to-air missile system.- Description :...
  
   radar
• M1939 37mm AA gun
• M3 Half-track
  M3 Half-track
  The Carrier, Personnel Half-track M3 was an armored vehicle used by the United States, the British Empire and the other Allies during World War II and the Cold War. Nearly 43,000 were produced, and supplied to the U.S...
  
  

Plaque states that this was formerly used by Groupe Mobile 100 and captured in the Battle of Mang Yang Pass

Battle of Mang Yang Pass

The Battle of Mang Yang Pass was the last official battle of the First Indochina War. It was one of the bloodiest defeats of the French Union together with the battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 and the battle of Cao Bang in 1950.-Background:Groupement Mobile No. 100 The Battle of Mang Yang Pass...

• PT-76
  PT-76
  The PT-76 is a Soviet amphibious light tank which was introduced in the early 1950s and soon became the standard reconnaissance tank of the Soviet Army and the other Warsaw Pact armed forces. It was widely exported to other friendly states, like India, Iraq, North Korea and North Vietnam. Overall,...
  
   light amphibious tank
• SA-2 Guideline SAM
• ZPU-4