Caution; The pictures are gruesome.
On our way to Vietnam War Museum in Saigon, I asked our guide about his opinion about Vietnam War. He suddenly got quiet, then few moments later said “see the Vietnam Museum and then I will let you know”.
Brief Background on Start of Vietnam War & pictures from Museum;
Vietnam was a French colony since 1854 but lost it to Japan during WWII. Japan allowed Ho Chi Minh and Viet Minh to occupy government buildings, weapons and on September 2nd, 1945 Ho Chi Minh declared independence before a crowd of 500,000 in Hanoi..
After the surrender of Japan in WWII, the Vietnam was again handed over to France by USA, Britain and Russia. Ho Chi Minh and Viet Minch started again a guerrilla war for independence and defeated France in 1954.In Geneva Peace Conference independence was granted to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, but Vietnam was divided temporarily into North and South Vietnam, and elections throughout the country were to be held by July 1956 to establish a unified government. Soviet backed Viet Minh controlled the North Vietnam, and American backed Emperor, Bao Dai, was installed in the South. His Prime Minister was Mr.Ngo Diem, a devout catholic, and later became President. USA and Mr. Diem has refused to sign the Peace Accord because they were afraid that the planned elections will bring the entire Vietnam under the control of communism and Ho Chi Minh. In the North, Russian backed, Ho Chi Minh solidified his power and in the South American back Mr. Diem, solidified his power. President Eisenhower’s administration believed in Domino Theory and John F. Kennedy, a Senator at that time, said in a speech” “Burma, Thailand, India, Japan, the Philippines and obviously Laos and Cambodia are among those whose security would be threatened if the Red Tide of Communism overflowed into Vietnam.” America started sending Military advisers to South Vietnam and then sank deeper into the conflict. Guerrilla warfare started in South Vietnam both by local and insurgents from North Vietnam for the control of the entire country, and Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese forces on April 30th 1974, after a heavy price paid by both Vietnamese and USA.
Vietnam War Museum in Saigon tells the story in pictures and narrative, from the Vietnamese perspective. Although some of the pictures has been published before, but it was still an emotionally overwhelming and draining experience.( Caution;Some Pictures very graphic. Picture placed randomly).
A war Poster
Reality of War-Mother nursing a child with severed limbs
A soldier and Vietnamese family
Soldier holding a child with missing body parts
Bodies being dragged by a tank
Bodies of one whole family
A gruesome narrative about Senator Bob Kerry’ s involvement in massacre of two elderly men, 15 civilian including two pregnant women in 1969 in Thang Phong village. As per narrative,.Senator Bob Kerry acknowledged it in April 2001
Senator Bob Kerry
Missing Journalist during Vietnam War
“The Purple People Eater” A sign on Chemical Tank
Children with Deformities after exposure to Agent Orange
Victims of Agent Orange
A child in Chemical defoliated wilderness
Devastation after spray of Chemicals
Picture of Restored Area After Chemical Weapon Destruction
During the War one whole city was living underground in tunnels with schools, hospitals and other facilities
US soldiers- a haunting picture
A soldier resuscitating his buddy
War Room in Palace in Saigon
Front Lawn of Palace in Saigon
Palace in Saigon
An other view of Military Watch post in Da Nang
Residence of Ho Chi Minh as President
Ngo-Dinh-Diem was initially Prime Minister and later became President in a rigged elections in 1956
Chart on Number of troops-1969 – 549,900
Somehow I did not see the iconic picture below in the Museum. Someone remarked by looking at the picture; ” If I was God, I would have stopped the War at that moment”.
( Photo AP- Nick) Phan Thị Kim Phúc running down a road near Trảng Bàng, Vietnam, after a napalm bomb was dropped on the village of Trảng Bàng. She migrated to Canada, became citizen, and has her own Charity Organization for War Victims(Wikepedia)
 .Victims of Protests in USA. Kent State Shootings.The 14-year-old Mary Ann Vecchio kneels over the dead body of Jeffrey Miller who was shot by the Ohio National Guard during the Kent State shootings( Wikipedia) |
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After we visited the Museum our Guide said, ” Although we have suffered a lot, but as a nation we have decided to move forward. There is no point in dwelling on bitterness, and we are developing a good relations with Americans”.
In every war, human atrocities are attributed to “few bad apples” who do not represent the Morals of the Armed Forces, but unfortunately these “bad apples” are in every war, and they nourish and grow right in front of the watchful eyes.
Fayyaz Sheikh
