The War Remnants Museum in HCMC is a testament to why we should never aspire to go to war. Graphic photos from archives of the US Army and other press outlets document the horrors of the Vietnam War as it effected both Vietnamese and American soldiers. The expressions on the soldier's faces are haunting. Shuffling along the walls of photos, it felt like the subjects in the photos were whispering for help, pleading for their last breath. It is eerie feeling.
Army vehicles, fighter planes and guns are displayed, in addition to an educational section about the effects of the chemical Agent Orange. The famous picture of Kim Phuc, victim of a mistaken napalm bomb, is also shown. I have just finished reading Kim Phuc's autobiography by Denise Chong, which was very interesting - it describes how this picture affected her life, and how she was depicted in both the American and Vietnam media. Kim Phuc now lives in Toronto, Canada, after having claimed refugee status in 1998.
The War Remnants Museum also "displays" disfigured, mal-formed babies and embryos in formaldehyde jars. Near the rear of the museum, there are also replicas of the "Tiger Cages" that were used to torture American G.I.s and in "re-education camps" for southern Vietnamese. The energy in the museum is dark, haunting, lamentable and sad.
War is horrible, and it should be every nation's very last resort. It is nothing worth aspiring to because nothing good can come of it.
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