Hanoi, 1955: Ho Chi Minh inspects the Hoang Ngan militia unit at Bach Mai military airport, shortly after the French were ousted from Vietnam. The Hoang Ngan militia was famous during the French conflict for protecting National Hwy. 5, a vital link for the Viet Minh guerillas that connected Hanoi and the large port of Haiphong. During the war with the Americans ten years later, Bach Mai airport was the target of heavy US bombing. Photo: © Nguyen Dinh Uu