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War Remnants Museum

Bảo tàng chứng tích chiến tranh
District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Coordinates	10°46′46″N 106°41′32″E / 10.779475°N 106.692132°E / 10.779475; 106.692132
Type	war museum
Visitors	approx. 500,000/year (2009)
Owner	Government of Vietnam

The War Remnants Museum (

.

History

Operated by the Vietnamese government, an incipient form of museum opened on September 4, 1975, as the "Exhibition House for US and

Puppet

Crimes" (Vietnamese: Nhà trưng bày tội ác Mỹ-ngụy), located in the premises of the former United States Information Agency building. The exhibition was not the first of its kind for the North Vietnamese side, but rather followed a tradition of such exhibitions exposing war crimes, first those of the French and then those of the Americans, who had operated at various locations of the country as early as 1954.^[1]

In 1990, the name changed to Exhibition House for Crimes of War and Aggression (Nhà trưng bày tội ác chiến tranh xâm lược), dropping both "U.S." and "Puppet."^[1] In 1995, following the normalization of diplomatic relations with the United States and end of the US embargo from a year before, the references to "war crimes" and "aggression" were dropped from the museum's title as well; it became the "War Remnants Museum" (Bảo tàng Chứng tích chiến tranh).^[1]

Exhibits

The museum comprises a series of themed rooms in several buildings, with period military equipment placed within a walled yard. The military equipment includes a

stored in the corner of the yard, with their charges and/or fuses removed.

One building reproduces the "

.

Reception

The War Remnants Museum is currently one of the most popular museums in Vietnam, attracting approximately half a million visitors every year. According to the museum's own estimates, about two-thirds of these are foreigners. However, it's visitor reception are mixed, ranging from favorable to "[the viewing of the exhibits] need to be taken with a grain of salt",[2] with some goes as far as to claim that Vietnamese regime has "borrowed images from the West and inserted them into a "distorted" history", using images of the War to substantiate their version and views on Vietnam War history.^[1]

According to one travel report, the exhibits are "blatantly one-sided" with "many exhibits in the museum contain[ing] a heavy dose of anti-American propaganda", but "they do graphically portray the horrors of the Vietnam War and "worth a visit no matter your opinion of US involvement in Vietnam"."^[2]

US anthropologist Christina Schwenkel wrote in a 2009 book that the exhibition is "full of propaganda", and while the description "war crimes" has been dropped from the official text, the museum still exhibits pictures that are considered controversial and perhaps unrepresentative like that of a "smiling U.S. soldier proudly displaying a VC head as a war trophy" accompanied by a caption that is still hinting at a criminal element, in this case: "after decapitating some guerillas, a GI enjoyed being photographed with their heads in his hands".^[1]

However, not all Americans and Europeans who visited the museum felt that it displayed a distorted and biased view of the Vietnam War. Many visitors felt that the museum was a enlightening and educational experience. William Brown, a soldier who fought as a part of the Anti-Communist force in the Vietnam War, was so moved by the museum that he donated his war medals to the museum. The medals were put on display, and the inscription on the exhibit with his medals reads, “'To the people of a united Vietnam, I was wrong. I am sorry'”^[3]. Another veteran remarked,"'I am very sorry for what our country has done to [the Vietnamese] people'" ^[4]. Based on these two accounts, and similar statements made by other Vietnam War veterans, it seems that the museum has some capacity to change western views from on the Vietnam War. Despite this, many people walk away from the museum feeling that the American story of the Vietnam War is not well represented.

An analysis of the impression books (which the tourists may use to leave their comments in at the exit) revealed that the museum's visitors used to be mostly Europeans and North Americans before 2005, but that its audience became much more varied after Vietnam dropped their visa requirement for ASEAN countries that year. The impression books also record mixed responses to the museum; some visitors noted down their own anti-American sentiments, especially after 2001. Others simply praised Vietnam, while some Europeans and Americans harshly criticized the museum for its "propaganda" and "glorification of [their] victory".^[1]

Gallery

• 
  Entrance to the War Remnants Museum
• 
  Artillery and armor collection
• 
  Aircraft collection
• 
  Defused ordnance on display.
• 
  Guillotine used by the French.
• 
  Claimed diorama of alleged detention conditions in some South Vietnamese prison
• 
  Exhibited picture of My Lai massacre aftermath
• 
  Display of anti-war artwork.

Vietnam war “American crimes”

Vietnam War - We can't change history but we can correct it.

References

External links

• Saigon Online Attractions Guide

• Article About A Visit to the War Remnants Museum With Many Pictures
• Pictures of the Vietnam War Remnants Museum
• Ho Chi Minh City Travel Guide

Category:Vietnam War museums Category:Military and war museums in Vietnam Category:Museums in Ho Chi Minh City Category:Communist propaganda