We arrived in HCMC after thirteen hours of travelling. After finding a place to stay, getting something to eat, and doing a little walking around, we chilled in our room. I did sneak out and get a massage. It was 120,000 Dong ($6) for 90 minutes, and was pretty good.
The next day we got up early and made our way to the War Remembrance Museum, which chronicled "The American War," aka The Vietnam War. I am somewhat of a history buff/nerd and I keep up with foreign affairs, so I found the museum very interesting and informative.
On the other hand, as Union General William Sherman said, "War is hell." The museum certainly didn't gloss over the atrocities committed during the war. We saw the horrific conditions prisoners on Pho Quoc Island were kept. The piece that touched me the most, however, was the Agent Orange Exhibit. There was an entire floor dedicated to it, and although I knew about AO, most of it was from a Western perspective. While the media in the States covered the debilitating injuries and complications American soldiers faced from AO, the suffering of the Vietnamese has either been glossed over or completely ignored.
America's use of AO destroyed many of Vietnam's beautiful forests, and left behind generations of disabled and disfigured Vietnamese. It was a truly sobering exhibit. People spoke in hushed voices throughout the exhibit, and I saw a few folks crying. It didn't exactly make me swell up with pride, being an American, by the time I had exited the museum.
The next day we got up early and made our way to the War Remembrance Museum, which chronicled "The American War," aka The Vietnam War. I am somewhat of a history buff/nerd and I keep up with foreign affairs, so I found the museum very interesting and informative.
On the other hand, as Union General William Sherman said, "War is hell." The museum certainly didn't gloss over the atrocities committed during the war. We saw the horrific conditions prisoners on Pho Quoc Island were kept. The piece that touched me the most, however, was the Agent Orange Exhibit. There was an entire floor dedicated to it, and although I knew about AO, most of it was from a Western perspective. While the media in the States covered the debilitating injuries and complications American soldiers faced from AO, the suffering of the Vietnamese has either been glossed over or completely ignored.
Examples of torture techniques used.
America's use of AO destroyed many of Vietnam's beautiful forests, and left behind generations of disabled and disfigured Vietnamese. It was a truly sobering exhibit. People spoke in hushed voices throughout the exhibit, and I saw a few folks crying. It didn't exactly make me swell up with pride, being an American, by the time I had exited the museum.
The aftermath AO left behind
However, the last US troops left Vietnam over 40 years ago, and while not forgotten, and maybe not completely forgiven, the Vietnamese seemed to have moved on. Unfortunately I fear there will be a similar museum like this in Iraq 40 years from now.
40 years later and all we have to do is replace SE Asia with Middle East
Fascinating.... Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Glad you like it. I learned a lot.
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