Historical artifacts forgotten in the heart of the city
According to reporters' records, the MiG-21 is currently located hidden behind the staff dormitory area, surrounded by weeds.
The aircraft body has peeling paint, many parts are degraded and damaged due to prolonged sun and rain exposure. In this area, there are no information boards introducing the origin, history or value of artifacts.
People living around said that they only know that this is an old aircraft that has existed for a long time. "If no one speaks, few people would think this is a historical artifact," a resident said.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hung (70 years old, residing in Tan Thanh ward) said that the plane appeared in this area many years ago. "I heard that Minh Hai province (place name of Ca Mau and Bac Lieu provinces before - PV) asked to bring it back for display, but no one knows when or where it was displayed. Gradually, the plane lay there, almost forgotten," Mr. Hung said.
According to local people, due to the lack of a specific management unit, the plane was not protected, leading to an increasingly obvious degradation.
The fact that a war relic exists in a residential area, but is not introduced and promoted for its value, makes many people wonder.
Traces from the exhibition and lessons from Bac Lieu
According to a former official of Minh Hai Provincial Museum, in 1985, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and national reunification, Minh Hai province requested some war vehicles to be displayed at Hung Vuong Park. The artifacts include an UH-1 helicopter, a US patrol ship and a MiG-21.
After a period of display, due to loose security, many artifacts were removed, and spare parts were lost. To avoid the risk of being completely destroyed, the artifacts were moved to Cao Thang area - where the archives of Minh Hai Provincial Museum and the School of Culture and Arts are located. When the archives were moved, the College of Culture and Arts dissolved, this area gradually became abandoned, and the MiG-21 also fell into a state of no longer being managed.
Not only in Ca Mau, previously in the Bac Lieu (old) area, there was also a MiG-21 with registration number F94-6110 - which participated in combat in the anti-American resistance war - abandoned in a bush, causing public uproar.
In 2014, this aircraft was donated to the locality by the Air Defense - Air Force Command for display and tradition education. However, due to changes in planning and slow arrangement of appropriate display space, artifacts have not been properly preserved for a long time.
In response to public reaction, Bac Lieu province (old) moved this plane to the Three Conical Hat Theater and it has existed to this day.
According to some opinions, the MiG-21 is a symbol associated with the history of the Vietnam People's Air Force. Reviewing and clarifying the origin and value of artifacts; and at the same time choosing a suitable display space to serve traditional education is something that should be done.
