After the morning market walk, both Alvin and I back to the hotel and had our breakfast with both Issac and Annabelle.
We headed to the famous and a must visit place ~ The War Remnants Museum. I was curious that all the reviews which I read online about this museum, it is a highly recommended museum to go.
There were already many tourist queuing for entrance tickets when we reached there around 9.00am.
Established by the Vietnamese government on the 9th of September, 1975, the museum was originally called “The House for Displaying War Crimes of American Imperialism and the Puppet Government”.
Then in 1990 it was renamed to the “Museum of American War Crimes”, and then not until the 4th of July, 1995, did people start to refer to it as the “War Remnants Museum”.
The War Remnants Museum is a member of the World Peace Museum and World Museum Committee. The museum specializes in researching, collecting, preserving and displaying evidence – the crimes and consequences of the Vietnam War.
Once we entered to the compound of the museum, the courtyard is filled with military vehicles and unexploded ordnance.
These remains from the Vietnam wars clearly leave us with a strong impression as all of us never get to see a real fighting machines, airplanes and tanker before.
Those in displays included a Huey and Chinook helicopter or a South Vietnamese Air Force’s tank or fighter jet.
The military equipment also includes an A-1 Sky raider attack bomber, M48 Patton tank, an A-37 Dragonfly attack bomber, an F-5A fighter and a BLU-82 “Daisy Cutter” bomb.
Both Issac and Annabelle were the most happiest as they saw those real tank, helicopter, bombs, etc.
After which, we came to the building which is just located at the side of the compound of the museum. It showed how the Imprisonment System During the Vietnam Wars.
In the war, besides military operations and the massacre of innocent people, the US and Saigon governments also built a prison system including Chi Hoa, Thu Duc, Tan Hiep, Phu Quoc and Con Dao. The imprisonment, detention and torture that left serious consequences on Vietnamese patriots.
However, the most heart-breaking artefact for visitors is probably the guillotine. This machine was brought to Vietnam by the French colonialists to suppress the people during the resistance war for independence of the country in the early 20th century.
After the Geneva Agreement, the old Saigon authorities took this guillotine around southern provinces to execute patriots. After the country was fully liberated, this murder machine was brought here to prove the colonial war crimes.
Going to the far-left side of the main hall, you will find yourself in a building reproducing the “barbed-wired tiger cages” in which the South Vietnamese government kept political prisoners.
These cages are so tiny (only 2.7m x 1.5m x 3m each) but were used to imprison up to 14 people. There are also mannequin bodies positioned inside for you to gain a clearer picture.
And, there is an equally sad life-sized model of a prison, where you’ll find replicas of prisoner rooms, stocks, and torturing devices.
I can hardly imagine how were the people whom suffered during these wars, and the horrible effects that come as a result of war.
Inside, the museum is divided into 3 levels devoted to a particular theme related to the war.
The Ground Floor of the museum is dedicated to a collection of press and propaganda showing hatred and protest to the war. It exhibits the International Support for the Vietnamese People in Their Resistance War.
There is a Temporary Exhibition hall which the exhibits would change from time to time according to the museum.
After we walked about at the ground floor, we straight went up to the second floor of the museum. There are 4 exhibition halls and a Children Education Chamber, which called “Dove”.
If you visit the War Remnants Museum and you are with kids, that is the “Dove” room which there is a playground, where many young kids went to hang out while their parents walked through the museum (as you can imagine, it may not a great place for kids to see).
Hall 1 ~ Historical Truths
It is all about how did Vietnamese War take place.
Hall 2 ~ Requiem
It is one of the most notable section exhibition which houses a collection of photographs compiled by legendary war photographer Tim Page and Horst Faas in memory of fallen correspondents during the American war in Vietnam.
The collection includes 204 works of 133 war correspondents of 11 nationalities. This graphic photography illustrates a phase of painful history and reveals unknown stories about war to people, especially to Westerners.
Each picture is accompanied by fact cards in English, Vietnamese and Japanese so you can get up close and personal with these historical moments. It was kind of heart-breaking to see their stories through the photographs.
Hall 3 ~ Vietnam – War and Peace
(Collection of Documentary Pictures of Japanese correspondent Ishikawa Bunyo).
Ishikawa Bunyo was born in 1938 in Okinawa Japan. As a correspondent of Farkas Studio, Hong Kong, he worked in Vietnam from January 1965 to December 1972. After Vietnam war ended, he came back to Vietnam, took photograph and exhibition with the theme “Vietnam – War and Peace”.
In 2015, he denoted his works to the War Remnants Museum to celebrate its 40th year anniversary and 40th year Southern liberation, National reunification.
Hall 4 ~ Agent Orange During the Vietnam War
(Collection of Documentary Pictures of Japanese Photographer Nakamura Goro).
Goro Nakmura is a freelance photographer. He first came to Vietnam in 1970. Moved by the tragic consequences of the ear, he returned to Vietnam many times to capture the consequences of the Agent Orange in the war.
After which we came to the first floor. The first floor is an over view of war crimes caused by the US Army during the American war in Vietnam. The war deprived the right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of the Vietnamese.
Hall 6 ~ War Crimes.
Exhibiting the evidence of crime of the US war of aggression to Vietnamese people from persecution, torture, murder and massacre; bombing innocent people and their homes, villages, hospitals, schools causing casualty and damages to Vietnamese people.
Hall 7 ~ Agent Orange Effect.
Exhibition of photos, data, and artefacts about US’s use of toxic chemicals in Vietnam during the war and the determination to overcome difficulties by dioxin victims.
In addition, there are three jars of preserved human fetus showing haunting effects of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds. Many travellers are likely to be horrified by such shocking displays.
After the visit, the thoughts that came immediately to my mind was, I felt the exhibits are entirely one-sided affair, and focusing on anti-American propaganda. But, then the second thought came in was this is the war that the Vietnamese let us open our eyes and see the history through their eyes, minds and experiences which they personally felt.
There are always 2 or 3 perspective in viewing everything that happened. I have to admit that the War Remnants Museum has successfully portrayed the brutality of war to me at least. And give a feeling of war is not a good thing to be happened.
The War Remnants Museum is a worthwhile place to see in Saigon to learn, but again, be prepared for quite a heavy and saddening experience.
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