Open in September 1975 shortly after the end of the Vietnam War, the War Remnants Museum is a popular attraction in Ho Chi Minh City , a significant stop for travelers looking to hear the Vietnamese response to the war in Vietnam .  Read more

Open in September 1975 shortly after the end of the Vietnam War, the War Remnants Museum is a popular attraction in Ho Chi Minh City, a significant stop for travelers looking to hear the Vietnamese response to the war in Vietnam. 

The War Remnants Museum is located in Ho Chi Minh City in District 3 at the corner of Vo Van Tan and Le Quoy Don, just northwest of the Reunification Palace. The War Remnants Museum is a comprehensive collection of the machinery, weapons, photos, and documentation of Vietnam’s wars with the both the French and Americans (though the emphasis is heavily on the latter). The museum was once called the War Crimes Museum, which should give you an idea of whose side of the story is being told here. 

After paying entry fee, the recommended route takes you to the top floor and the room of 'historical truths' (on reflection, that implies the other rooms aren't), which is a collection of photo displays setting out the history of the country from French colonization through to the Vietnam war.

Requiem is the next room, subtitled "Photo collection of the US aggressive war in Vietnam" which is a disappointing name as it's actually a haunting and thoughtful collection of photos taken by correspondents who were killed or 'disappeared' in the conflict. It seems to use the original captions from whichever agency or journal they were written for, so is arguably the most truthful exhibit; it was certainly my favourite. This room blends into two more which contain photos from Japanese photographers.

On the next floor are perhaps the most difficult exhibitions - the war crimes section containing details on My Lai and other atrocities committed (or alleged to have been, some are unverifiable while others are clear) by Americans and (once) South Koreans, and the Agent Orange room. This, cleverly painted in orange and black, holds photos of genetic defects in children, some now grown up, others more recent, which are probably the result of dioxin poisoning in their parents. It is hard to look at, particularly the glass case of preserved deformed stillborn babies.

The ground floor has propaganda posters from many countries against US involvement, and currently has an exhibition of the North Vietnamese treatment of American prisoners of war - all rather jolly, apparently. There is even a picture of US Senator John McCain smiling, with no mention of how he can't lift his arms above the shoulder due to the torture inflicted on him during his time in captivity.

Outside is the recreation of jail conditions for some political prisoners and those suspected of supporting the north or engaging in terrorist activities. These people were tortured by their South Vietnamese jailers, and the displays here are gruesome. Finally there is a display of captured US jets, helicopters, artillery and boats.

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