Photo exhibition pays tribute to women's strength in wartime

An exhibition about the lives and strength of women in Vietnam when it was divided between north and south is being held in Hanoi, "Two Sisters - Two Front Lines" portraying how women fought and coped with difficulties in wartime.

Vietnam was divided into two zones by the Geneva Peace Accords of 1954 after the colonial forces of France were defeated by the nationalist forces under Ho Chi Minh, based in Hanoi.

National elections were supposed to be held within two years, but these never took place and a government was declared in the south, with the financial backing of the United States, which also provided military assistance in what became a long war for unification.

In 1961, the Women's Union Liberation of South Vietnam organized women of all classes to work in politics, in armed units, and propaganda. One element, formed in 1960, became known as the "Long-Haired Army", and they shot down military aircraft and engaged in guerilla warfare.

Women in the north followed the “Three Responsibilities Movement", caring for families, fighting in combat and working the factories and farms, sending what they could to the south. Millions of women lent their labor and lives to the struggle in the south during the American War.

To mark the 55th anniversary of the “Long-Haired Army” (1960-2015) and the 50th anniversary of the “Three Responsibilities Movement" (1965-2015), the Vietnamese Women's Museum in collaboration with the Southern Vietnam Women's Museum and the Nam Dinh Province Museum decided to hold the "Two Sisters - Two Front Lines" exhibition.

The exhibition opens March 6 and will run until the end of the month at the Vietnamese Women's Museum in Hanoi.

Some photos from the exhibition: