Though it's located a long way from the city center, it's worth making the effort to visit this museum, especially if you're interested in the importance of the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the Vietnam War. Visitors are first led upstairs to watch a short video about the construction of the trail, which in fact was a network of trails that often crossed the border into Laos and Cambodia. The exhibits on the three floors show the ingenuity of the trail blazers who worked in the jungle with limited materials. These include oil drums wrapped in bamboo strips that functioned as personal bomb shelters, and a rudimentary shrapnel-proof coat worn by commanders that weighs about 60 kilos (130 pounds). There are also examples of cigarette bombs and nail bombs that were designed to maim for life. Beside the museum are several trucks that used to trundle along the trail, and behind the museum is a rather unconvincing reconstruction of an underground command center.