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Ho Chi Minh City: The WAR REMNANTS MUSEUM

If you have anti-American sentiments,this could be the perfect place for you.It was quite difficult for me to absorb at first but that's the reality of it ---in war, the winner takes all, including the right to project who the goons are, and even mock them long after it's over.It was a hard fought battle.Vietnam War was one of the bloodiest war in recent history.On the surface, Vietnam looks like any other democratic country but I had to remind myself that this is a communist state. Doing so would make you understand the place more.

The War Remnants Museum is the testament of the war crimes of the French and American forces during the 20-year armed conflict and it was here where we started our Walking City Tour of Ho Chi Minh City.

The War Remnants Museum HO CHI MINH CITY
inside The WAR REMNANTS MUSEUM Ho Chi Minh City

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A Glimpse back in History:
Ho  Chi Minh City, under the name Saigon, it was the capital of the French Colony of Cochin-China and later of the independent republic of South Vietnam from 1955–75. South Vietnam, as an anti-communist, capitalist republic, fought against the communist North Vietnamese and Viet Cong during the Vietnam War with aid from the US and countries including Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.Saigon fell when it was captured by the communists on 30 April 1975, ending the war with a Communist victory. Vietnam was then turned into a communist state with the South overtaken. Source
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WAR TROPHY

As if some sort of trophy, American warplanes,tanks and helicopters are on display in front of the museum.

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CHILDREN DURING VIETNAM WAR

Entrance fee to the museum is 10,000 Dong per pax. Quite cheap.The ground floor is basically more of a dull area with lots of empty sections.One thing significant about this section is the exhibit on the effects of war on the children of Vietnam.Kids are always the most vulnerable casualties of war and you can see through the pictures that they too struggled during the war.

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AGENT ORANGE

The 2nd and 3rd floors are where things get more interesting.One heartwarming section is the room on Agent Orange.

Agent Orange is the combination of the code names for Herbicide Orange (HO) and Agent LNX, one of the herbicides and defoliants used by the US military as part of its chemical warfare program known as Operation Ranch Hand during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971.

This is a vivid account of chemical warfare.Here, you can see how the Vietnam War was fought with dirty tactics.And the effects are not just immediate but also lasting.

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There is even a display of a fetus allegedly affected by agent orange.
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There are some criticisms that the exhibits at the museum are one sided.I kinda agree to that.I actually felt it the whole time I was there.Sure, the pictures are real accounts of events but I am sure there is another side of the story.Well, this is Vietnam, and it's their rules.It's nice to see things from another perspective though.After all, di pwedeng America lagi ang bida.

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One-sided or not, The War Remnants Museum is the perfect set-off point for the Walking Tour of Ho Chi Minh City.Other than it will give you an understanding of the psyche of the Vietnamese people, it is also nearby other tourist spots like the reunification building and from there to Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office.

Read the details of our Walking Tour of the city here:  
Walking City Tour of HO CHI MINH CITY
More scoops on Ho Chi Min City soon!

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The WAR REMNANTS MUSEUM
is located at
District 3, Ho Chi Min City Vietnam


Comments

  1. shocking sa war museum yung pics ng mga taong naapektuhan ng mga biochemicals... yung may mga deformities and stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ganda ng mga shot, mejo disturbing lang un iba
    lalo ung isa tao ba yun hawak nya?

    ReplyDelete

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